Why Don't You Let Me Love You?
by amethyst-jt
Summary: Dr. Seth Rollins moves to Florida for a fresh start from his difficult past. He starts to make friends with his co-workers, especially Dr. Reigns. Can he overcome his past and find love for the first time or will he be stuck in his past hurt?
1. A New Start

Today was the day Seth Rollins had been anticipating and dreading for weeks. It was his first day of work at his new job in a new city. He had just moved to Florida from Iowa looking for a new start, another new start, and he wanted to be somewhere where nobody knew him. Florida seemed nice and there was an opening for a new Pediatrician at a very good hospital so it had only been a matter of finding a decent apartment online. Surprisingly, everything had been perfect so far. He had found a clean, cozy apartment only a few minutes away from the hospital where he would be working so he could walk most days or if he was tired, or the weather was bad, he could take public transportation.

There were some nice little shops and cafe's near his apartment and a park, so he wouldn't get bored just sitting at home and the weather had been nice so far. He had only been in town for three days, but he loved being somewhere new. He was a little scared, but he was looking forward to letting go of his past and starting a better life.

He got ready for work and dressed in a black button-up shirt, slacks, his glasses and a pair of black sneakers. Since he worked mainly with children, he was allowed to be a little less conservative than he would be with adults, so he had part of his longish brown hair dyed blonde and he tied it up in a bun. He grabbed his messenger bag that was filled with things he thought he might need for his office, a light jacket, his keys and cell phone and locked the door behind him.

He walked down the street, looking into the shops as he passed them, but he started to get nervous as soon as he saw the hospital looming in front of him. He took a deep breath and walked into the building and over to the reception. He spent the first hour of his day getting all of his identification and security pass and meeting with the hospital administrator before he actually got to go up to the 3rd floor where his office was.

The elevator opened and he walked into Pediatrics, looking around and getting accustomed to it. He walked over to the desk and saw a pretty dark haired nurse hanging up the phone.

"Hello. I'm-" he started taking to the nurse.

"Dr. Rollins. Right?" she said coming around the station and shaking his hand. "I'm Nurse Bella, but you can call me Nikki. We aren't very formal here."

He smiled and returned her handshake. "I'm Seth. Can you do me a favour and point me towards my office?"

"I will do better than that." she said putting her arm in his. "I'll give you a tour."

"You don't have to." he said, trying to dislodge her, but she held on tighter. "I'm sure you're really busy."

"No problem." she said, leading him down the hall. "It's usually pretty quiet around here and today is no different."

He nodded and let her show him around.

"So. We have three doctors here." she started talking. "These are the offices, this one being yours." she said pointing to a door that already had his name on it.

He looked at doors of his co-workers, one said Reigns and the other, Jericho.

"This is the doctor's lounge, where we all hang out, even the nurses." she said leading him into a large room with a table, a few couches, a kitchenette, a TV, and a coffee machine. "And this sexy hunk of man coming in the room is Dr. Reigns." she said gesturing to the doorway to a tall, handsome dark haired man.

"What did I tell you about calling me things like that?" Dr. Reigns asked with a smile as he walked up to them.

"I don't remember, but I assume it was 'Thank You'." Nikki said, smirking up at Dr. Reigns.

Dr. Reigns chuckled. "You're a sexual harassment case waiting to happen Nikki."

Nikki rolled her eyes and gestured to Seth. "This is Dr. Rollins, first name Seth."

Dr. Reigns turned his grey eyes to Seth. "Nice to meet you. My name's Roman."

"Nice to meet you too." he said as he reached over to shake Roman's hand. When Roman touched his hand, he felt a tingle run up his arm and his stomach fluttered. He looked up into Roman's incredible eyes and saw that he felt the same thing too. He dropped Roman's hand as quickly as he could and lowered his eyes.

Nikki looked at them, confused. "How about we continue the tour?"

"Sounds good to me." he said, following her out the door. He turned back to take another look at Roman and saw him looking right back at him. He turned his head away quickly and followed Nikki.


	2. Co-workers

He spent the rest of his first day in his office, familiarizing himself with how things were run or in the exam room seeing patients. He ate the lunch he had packed in his office feeling overwhelmed by everything and not wanting to run into Dr. Reigns again. He had felt something for the handsome doctor, something he hadn't felt since he was a teenager, He had almost forgotten what it had felt like to be attracted to someone, to desire someone. Maybe he was just too nervous and he hadn't been aroused by Dr. Reigns, he had just been overwhelmed by the new people and environment he was in. Nevertheless he decided that it would be for the best to avoid Dr. Reigns as much as possible.

* * *

It was time to go home and he packed some files and papers he wanted to go over into his bag and took off his doctor's coat. He put on his regular jacket and wore his messenger bag across his body and went out into the hall. He tried to get away before anyone saw him but he saw Nikki in front of the reception desk talking to another woman.

"Seth, get over here, I need to introduce you to someone." Nikki said waving him over. "This is the other nurse on duty today, Becky Lynch." she said gesturing to a pretty, tan woman with long orange hair.

"Hello." he said, shaking her hand. "I'm Seth Rollins."

"Good ta meet ya, Seth." she said with an Irish accent. "It's nice ta finally have a replacement for Charlotte."

"Oh." Nikki exclaimed excitedly. "Chris, come meet the new doctor."

He turned to the hallway and saw Dr. Reigns walking with an older man with dirty blonde hair that he assumed was Dr. Jericho. He avoided looking at Dr. Reigns as they walked up to the group.

Dr. Jericho stuck his hand out to him. "Chris Jericho, pleased to meet you."

He took his hand. "Seth Rollins."

"I'm surprised we're only meeting now." Chris said, scratching his head. "It's a small office."

"I stayed in my office when I wasn't seeing patients trying to familiarize myself with the way things are run here." he said nervously, feeling everyone looking at him.

"That's good." Chris said. "Don't be a stranger though, we're pretty casual and friendly around here, the job can be difficult at times and we try to keep the environment as relaxing as possible."

He nodded with a smile and everyone moved into the elevator to leave. He was stuck standing next to Dr. Reigns and he felt very self-conscious being so near to him. He fidgeted with the strap of his messenger bag until the elevator got to the ground floor. Everyone said goodbye to each other and went in their separate directions. He and Dr. Reigns were the last to leave the elevator.

"Seth." Dr. Reigns said facing him with a smile. "Do you need a ride home?"

He glanced at him quickly before lowering his eyes again. "No thank you Dr. Reigns." he said, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. "I live only a few minutes away from here."

Dr. Reigns nodded. "Okay. But please call me Roman."

"Okay." he said softly.

Roman gently lifted his chin so they were looking in each other's eyes. "See you tomorrow Seth."

Roman dropped his hand and walked towards the exit.

He stood there in shock at what just happened. He swore that he could feel his skin tingling where Roman had touched him and he knew without a doubt that he was blushing.

He walked home quickly, needing to come to grips with everything that had happened today. He felt mentally and physically exhausted and he didn't even want to cook for himself, so he stopped off at a cafe and got a grilled chicken salad. He went home and changed into sweats and a t-shirt and sat down in front of the TV with his dinner.

He ate, looked over his files and went to sleep, trying hard not to think about his reaction to Roman.

* * *

He had a fitful sleep and woke up early so he stopped for coffee on the way to work. As soon as the elevator opened onto his floor, he was greeted by a smiling Becky.

"Good mornin' Seth." Becky said waving cutely at him.

He smiled genuinely at her. "Good morning Becky."

"We should have lunch together if you're free." she said looking over their schedules for the day. "It looks like we're both free at noon."

"Sounds good." he said, waving as he walked to his office.

* * *

Before he knew it, lunch time had arrived and he went off to meet Becky. He liked Becky, she was warm, friendly and fun to be around. He wanted to make friends and he thought she might be one. He honestly felt more comfortable having a female friend. He was still nervous and antsy around men after what happened in the past and he was trying his hardest to let the past be and make some friends. He hadn't had a friend since he was seventeen years old and that had been a disaster, but he was willing to try again, to be close to someone again.

He went into the lounge and saw Becky there waiting for him with her packed lunch. He smiled and sat down across the table from her and they both started eating. They chatted about their lives for a few minutes before Roman came in with his lunch.

"Hey guys." Roman said, putting his lunch down on the table. "Is this a private lunch or can I eat with you?"

"Of course ya can Romie." Becky said, smiling. "The more the merrier."

Roman smiled and sat down next to Becky and across from Seth.

Seth felt his eyes on him and he concentrated on eating his lunch. Becky and Roman started a conversation and he joined in whenever they asked him a question but he mostly stayed silent and tried his hardest not to look at Roman.

When his lunch break was over, he went back to work, seeing patients and doing paperwork until it was time to go home.

As he left his office, Roman walked out of his and they met in the hall. They walked together towards the elevator and waved goodbye to Nikki and Becky.

* * *

"So." Nikki started. "How long do you think it will take until they hook up?"

"Honestly, I think it'll take a while." Becky said, gathering her things up. "Seth seems pretty shy."

"Maybe, but Roman's so hot, I don't think he will be able to resist him for long." Nikki said grabbing her purse and walking towards the elevators.

"We'll just have to find a way to get them talking." Chris said joining them at the elevator. "Roman will do the rest. I've never seen him so interested in a guy before."

Nikki nodded. "You can see it all over Seth's face whenever he sees Roman that he's interested too."

"You shoulda been in the lounge with them today." Becky said, pushing the down arrow on the elevator. "You could cut the sexual tension with a knife."

"This is so exciting." Nikki said. "Like our own personal soap opera."

* * *

Seth and Roman rode down in the elevator in silence. He tried to stand as far away from Roman as he could and he just hoped Roman didn't notice. When the doors opened, it took everything in him not to just run for the door and all the way home.

He walked out of the elevator and felt a hand grab his arm. He jumped and pulled his arm away.

"Do you have a problem with me Seth?" Roman asked, concern flashing in his eyes. "You seem more comfortable with everyone else than with me."

He looked away. "Of course I don't have a problem with you. I'm just uncomfortable around new people."

Roman stepped back into his field of vision. "Are you sure that's it? Because if I did anything wrong, I'd like to know about it."

He sighed. "You haven't done anything wrong. It's just the way I am."

Roman nodded. "Okay, I believe you. I hope we will become friends soon. You seem like a great guy."

"Thanks." he said, uncomfortable. "See you tomorrow." He turned and walked away from Roman, his heart racing as fast as his legs wanted to.


	3. Opening Up

_He walked down the hallway, minding his own business hurrying to his algebra class when he felt someone crash into him, forcing his body into a locker hard. He gasped as pain shot through his shoulder and arm and he struggled to stay standing. Things always got worse if he was on the ground._

 _"Hey loser." a cheerful British voice boomed. "Where are you going so fast?"_

 _He held his shoulder and looked over at the small group of boys in front of him. "Algebra class." he said, trying not to look as scared as he felt._

 _"Fuckin' nerd." Wade yelled at him as the others laughed._

 _"Now now lads, relax." Sheamus said, moving to the front of the group. "Sethie needs to get to class so we should just help him along a little bit."_

 _Alberto looked at him in contemplation. "I think stomach this time."_

 _He tensed his stomach muscles before the first punch landed and each boy punched him in the stomach once before they were done. He had learned that it was best if he not fight back or try to avoid the hits. He bit his lip, trying not to cry out or show that he was in pain. When it was over, they left laughing and he picked up his books and made his way to class holding his aching stomach._

* * *

The nightmares were back. He had expected it, moving to a new place and meeting new people. He always had trouble sleeping after the nightmares, too many memories running through his mind, so he got out of bed, changed into workout clothes and decided to go out for a run.

It was 5 am so there weren't many people around. He put in his ear buds and cranked up his music and ran. He cleared his mind and let the stress from the last few days pour off him. He got back to his apartment an hour later, tired but relaxed and got ready for work.

He was the last to arrive at work and everyone was milling around the nurses desk. He smiled nervously and said hello.

"There's our newbie." Nikki said as she hooked her arm around his. "We were waiting to talk to you."

"Sorry if I'm late." he said scratching his head.

"You're not late." Chris said with a smile. "We got here early."

"Take it easy dude." Becky said. "You're not going to get called to the principle's office if you are the last to get here."

He nodded and smiled.

"Anyway." Chris said. "We have a Friday night tradition so tonight you are coming out for a drink with all of us. No excuses."

He wanted to decline but he knew that spending time with his co-workers away from work would be good for him. "Okay, just tell me the time and place."

* * *

The morning flew by and it was time for lunch. He wanted to stay in his office but he knew he couldn't keep avoiding Roman. They worked together and would see each other every day. He grabbed his lunch and went to the lounge. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw that Nikki was the only one in the room.

"Hey Nikki." he said sitting down at the table.

"Hey. Can't talk, I'm going to lunch with my boyfriend." Nikki said, walking to the door and waving.

He started eating his lunch and had just taken a big bite of his sandwich when Roman walked into the room. He immediately started choking and Roman walked over and slapped him on the back until he stopped coughing. Roman went and got him some water and he drank it slowly before clearing his throat.

"Thanks." he said smiling weakly.

"Well what kind of doctor would I be if I let you choke and die?" Roman said with a little grin.

Roman took a seat at the table and started eating his lunch. They ate in uncomfortable silence. He wanted to try being friends with Roman, but whenever they were in the same room together, his mind went totally blank. He felt stupid and he was worried Roman would give up on him if he took too long to be... normal.

Seth wracked his brain for any topic of conversation. "So... do you like sports?" Roman looked up at him and he wanted to smack himself on the head.

Roman smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm a big football fan. I even played for a while in high school and university."

"Wow, that explains it." he said without thinking.

Roman looked at him in confusion. "Explains what?"

Seth blushed and looked down at the table. "Uh... your... physique."

Roman chuckled. "My family are all big, tall Samoans, but I still like to work out. It's a good stress reliever."

"I agree." he said still trying to avoid looking directly at Roman. "I like to work out too. Crossfit mostly."

"That's cool." Roman said cleaning up the remains of his lunch. "I've heard that it has a lot of benefits for some people."

"It does." he said. "It really improves my strength, stamina and balance. I enjoy it."

"That's good." Roman said. "Hey you never mentioned if you like sports."

"Oh I do." he said, relaxing slightly. "I love football."

It was time to go back to work.

"Hey man." Roman said walking side by side with him. "Thanks for talking with me. Next we'll work on eye contact."

Seth ducked his head and nodded before walking back to his office.

* * *

Seth got home and made himself a light dinner before he had to meet everyone for drinks. It was slow, but he was starting to feel more comfortable with his co-workers. He was almost looking forward to tonight, but his attraction to Roman still worried him. Talking with him at lunch had felt so nice, almost normal but he couldn't trust himself with Roman. He tried not to think too hard about it and got dressed to go. He wore a pair of dark wash jeans and a black polo shirt, brushed his two-tone hair down and put in his contact lenses.

Seth took the bus to the bar and looked through the window to see who was there. Everyone was already there except Becky so he took a deep breath and walked into the bar.

Seth walked up to the table shyly and everyone greeted him warmly. Roman got up and pulled a chair out for him and he tried not to blush or swoon on his way to it. He sat next to Roman and could feel him staring at him.

They were sharing a pitcher of beer so he poured himself a glass and tried to relax, but it was hard when a gorgeous 6'3 man is staring holes into you. He chatted with Chris and found out that he was a hockey fan and that Nikki had actually played soccer in college.

Becky finally ran in out of breath and joined them. "Sorry I'm late guys." she said sitting down quickly. "I met someone and got asked on a date."

"Good going Becks." Nikki said, ruffling Becky's hair. "We're going to have to drink to that."

Chris ordered another pitcher of beer and Nikki insisted that everyone fill their glasses. He didn't really have a high tolerance for alcohol but he did want to celebrate Becky's good luck so he had another drink.

"If this works out then we'll all be in couples." Nikki said excitedly.

"What are you talking about?" Roman asked curiously. "You guys know I'm single."

Chris scoffed. "Not for long."

"What does that mean?" Roman asked.

"So Seth, you dating anyone?" Becky asked, ignoring Roman.

"No." he said quietly, hoping they would drop the topic so he wouldn't have to explain.

Becky, Chris and Nikki all looked at each other and smiled secretly. Roman frowned looking at them.

They drank and talked for a few hours more. He was really starting to feel more comfortable with his co-workers and it seemed like he had something in common with each of them. They were all nice and didn't push him too hard. They must have realized that he was shy and nervous around people and treated him kindly without making him feel like a freak.

They all got up to leave and he stumbled a little before righting himself.

"Seth looks a little tipsy." Chris said. "You should walk him home Roman."

Seth's head jerked up in panic. "No, no. I'm fine. I can get home on my own."

"I'm the oldest, therefore the wisest, so just do what I say in this matter." Chris said, tapping his foot like he was about to start throwing a tantrum. "Okay?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "Come on Seth, it's easier to just listen to him before he starts calling us a bunch of ass-clowns."

Seth took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Okay."

They said goodbye and walked out onto the street. It was chilly so he zipped his jacket up and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He started walking in the direction of his apartment that was only 6 blocks away and Roman walked beside him. He wasn't really drunk, but he had drank more than he usually allowed himself to and he was nervous that he might say something weird to Roman.

He looked at Roman out of the corner of his eye. God he was so gorgeous. He was wearing a pair of tight black jeans and his leather jacket was unzipped showing the long sleeve v-neck shirt he was wearing underneath. He could see some of Roman's muscular chest peeking from the v of his shirt and it made him nervous and excited at the same time. It was the first time he had seen Roman with his long black hair down and it was so beautiful. He wanted to run his fingers through his hair and pull it until their lips were touching. He wondered what kissing Roman would feel like. Would his facial hair tickle or caress? Would his lips be soft or hard? Would it be gentle or rough? Would he use his tongue? He mentally shook himself out of those thoughts and tried to focus on anything other than kissing. As much as he may want Roman, he would never be with him.

"Hey Seth." Roman called, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Slow down, you're practically running."

He slowed down and realized that he had been walking really fast and he felt stupid again. "Sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"It's okay." Roman said sadly. "I know it's my fault because you don't like to be around me."

Seth opened his mouth to talk but couldn't think of anything to say. The truth was too painful for him to face but he didn't want to lie to Roman either. "It's not that I don't like you." he started slowly, trying to gather his courage. "I just don't feel comfortable around you. I don't know why but it's not your fault. I have some... personal issues."

"Oh." Roman said looking at the ground. "I'm sorry about that."

"Me too." he said, feeling sadder than he had in years.

They continued on in silence until they got to his apartment.

"Well, this is me." he said, turning to Roman. "Thanks for walking with me."

Roman smiled at him, but it didn't reach his eyes like it usually did. "You're welcome. See you at work."

"Bye." he said quietly, and he watched as Roman walked away from him and he suddenly felt like his heart was breaking.


	4. Saviour

Seth spent the weekend getting everything unpacked and he was finally all moved in to his apartment. Luckily he hadn't had any more nightmares, but he was still feeling bad about hurting Roman's feelings. If only he wasn't so attracted to Roman then he would be able to act normally around him.

He decided to try harder to be friends with Roman. He really did think Roman was a good guy and they had a lot in common, so he did want to keep him in his life.

* * *

Seth got to work Monday morning in a good mood and he was chatting with Becky and Nikki when Roman arrived.

"Hey Romie." Becky said. "Have a good weekend?"

"Hi guys." Roman said getting off the elevator. "I had a quiet weekend, but I'm sure Nikki had an exciting one."

"You know it." Nikki said. "John and I had so much fun."

Seth tuned Nikki out and watched Roman. He still looked a little sad and he wouldn't even look in his direction. He didn't know when he had gotten so used to Roman's gentle smile, but he missed seeing it now. He saw Roman say something and then walk to his office and he walked to his own office to start the day.

* * *

When it was time for lunch, Seth grabbed his food and rushed to the lounge so he wouldn't miss Roman. He wanted to talk to him so bad, wanted to apologize and start over. He started eating his lunch and waiting but Roman never showed up. He didn't see Roman all day, even in the hallway as he went back and forth between his office and the patient exam rooms. He felt terrible that Roman was avoiding him.

As Seth was getting ready to head home for the day, he stopped by Roman's office and knocked on the door but Roman wasn't there.

Seth walked out to the front. "Hey Becky, did Roman leave yet?"

"Yeah, he left a few minutes ago." she said putting on her jacket. "Did you need to see him?"

"No." he said as he walked into the elevator.

Becky followed him. "He's kinda been acting strange all day. He's much quieter than usual and I don't think he smiled all day."

"Maybe he's not feeling well." he said nervously, hoping Becky wouldn't notice his guilt.

"Maybe." she said.

They said goodbye and went their separate ways.

Seth went home, had dinner and tried to watch TV, but he couldn't take his mind off Roman. He decided to try to clear his mind and go for a run. He changed into his running clothes, grabbed his ipod and went running. It was almost 10 pm so there weren't too many people around and he started running. He set a good solid pace and ran.

He had started running in his last year of high school and had kept at it during university and into his career. He had been thin in high school and with all the bullying and... he had wanted to be strong so he had started running and working out and eventually started developing muscles.

He lost track of how long he had been running and realized that he was in an area that he didn't recognize. The street lights were dim but it didn't look like a dangerous neighborhood so he stopped for a breather and stretched out his legs.

He was so focused that he didn't even notice two men come up behind him until he felt the cold steel of a knife against his throat.

"Don't move, pretty boy or you'll have a little accident." the man who had the knife on him said.

He was scared but tried to hide it. He hoped that the man with the knife would get distracted or something so he could run away. "What do you want?"

"Hmm. What do we want?" the other man said. "What the hell do you think we want? Money!"

Now Seth was scared, he was in such a hurry to leave the apartment that he had forgotten to bring his wallet with him and the only thing that he had was his cheap little ipod shuffle. He took a deep breath and forgot that that was a bad idea because he felt the tip of the knife scratch his throat. "I'm sorry but I didn't think to bring my wallet. I was just out for a run."

The man behind him got angry. "You had better be lying, because we are walking away with something. Check his pockets." he said to the other man.

He felt hands running over his ass and hips, checking his pockets and he was so scared he wanted to throw up. He started shaking as the man continued to touch him and the man behind him's grip got tighter on him.

"He's got nothin' other than this ipod." the other man said as he finished his search.

"Fuck!" the man with the knife said. "Should we just stab him a couple of times or kill him?"

Seth gasped as pure terror crept into him. He couldn't believe it was going to end like this. He thought of all the things he had missed in his life; kissing, dating, love, friendship, family and... Roman. He would never get to have any of those things now, he was going to die on the cold ground like he was nothing, nobody. He felt a tear slip down his cheek.

"Let's kill..." the voice trailed off as Seth heard a loud crack behind him.

The hand holding the knife was pulled away from him and he whirled around to see what was happening. It was Roman! Roman was fighting the two men that had tried to mug him. He watched as Roman punched the other man in the face so hard that he heard bones breaking and the man fell to the ground screaming as blood rushed out of his nose. He saw the man with the knife about to go after Roman and Seth sprang into action, kicking the man's legs out from under him. The man crashed to the ground but managed to slash at him, cutting Seth's arm. He was so full of adrenaline that he barely even felt the sting where the knife hit him and Roman kicked the knife right out of the man's hand, across the street before getting on top of the man and punching him in the face. The man was completely knocked out and the other man was still clutching his face and moaning in pain.

Roman got up and walked over to him and pulled him into his arms. He stiffened, but as the events of the past few minutes finally set in, he started trembling and he held on tight to Roman and let him comfort him. Roman rubbed his back soothingly and eventually the trembling stopped. He heard a police siren close by and he pulled out of Roman's arms.

* * *

The two men were arrested and he and Roman answered questions for the police. It wasn't likely that they would have to testify against the men because they were repeat offenders and had been wanted by the police. Seth was tired both physically and emotionally and wanted to go home.

"Come with me Seth." Roman said, putting his arm around Seth's shoulders. "My house is only a few doors down."

"No. I should really get home." he mumbled as he started walking back towards his apartment.

"Don't argue with me." Roman said in frustration. "Your arm is still bleeding and I want to take care of it."

Seth looked down at his arm and saw that it was still wet with blood. It must have been more than a scratch. "Yeah, okay." he said quietly and he let Roman lead the way to his house.

They walked up to a big, but pretty house and went inside.

"I don't think you should go home tonight." Roman said, leading him down a hallway.

"What?" Seth squeaked, a tiny tremor of fear going through him.

"I can tell you're exhausted and I would feel better if you stayed here." Roman said opening a door and ushering him in. "I'll lend you something to sleep in and drive you home before work so you can change."

Seth looked down at the floor. "I don't want to be a bother."

"Let me take care of you, just for tonight." Roman said, reaching forward and tipping his face up so he could look into his eyes. "Let me be your friend, we can go back to being just co-workers tomorrow."

Seth nodded slowly.

"This is the guest room. I'll go get you some clothes and you can shower." Roman said, backing away like he was trying not to scare a wounded animal. "I'll take care of your cut when you're done."

Roman was back quickly with a change of clothes and Seth shut the door. He went into the attached bathroom and took off his clothes, folded them neatly and put them on the counter. He turned on the water and got in letting the hot water soothe his tired body. He thought back to everything that happened tonight. He was surprised that he was handling things so well. In the past something like this would break him, but he wasn't broken. He wasn't scared and he had even been able to fight back in the moment.

His heart leapt when he thought about Roman jumping in to save him without a thought of his own safety. No one had ever done something like that without wanting something from him. The way he had treated Roman since the day they had met should have made him just turn his back and walk away but he didn't, he even wanted to take care of him.

He hurried to finish his shower so he could get some rest and he carefully washed his injured arm. He got out, dried off and dressed in Roman's borrowed clothes, smiling when he saw how baggy they were on him.

Seth left the bathroom and went in search of Roman and found him in the kitchen eating a sandwich.

"Give me a second to wash my hands and I'll fix you up." Roman said getting up out of his chair.

"No, no, finish eating." he said, pushing Roman back down in his chair. "My arm's not even bleeding anymore. It can wait."

Roman nodded and started eating. "Sorry, I was coming home for dinner when I saw what was happening."

"Thank you for helping me." he said, trying to look in Roman's eyes. "You saved my life."

Roman glanced up quickly then looked down again. "I'm just glad I got there at the right time."

Roman finished his sandwich and they walked back to the guest room. Roman washed his hands and brought out his first-aid kit.

Seth hopped up on the bed and held out his arm as Roman sat beside him. Roman was so focused on his arm that he had plenty of time to study him up close. His forehead was scrunched up in concentration and his lips were in a tight line, but his eyes held worry and concern and it was for him and the thought of it blew him away. No one had ever cared for him before and he didn't know what he was feeling. He really wanted to hug Roman.

Seth watched as Roman cleaned the cut that wasn't as deep as he thought and he didn't even flinch at the painful sting the antiseptic caused.

"We got lucky." Roman said, grabbing an anti-bacterial ointment. "I don't think it needs stitches."

"Yeah. It doesn't look bad at all." he said relieved.

Roman gently put the ointment on his arm and covered it with gauze. "You're really good at this." Seth teased. "You should be a doctor."

Roman smiled briefly but didn't look up and he hated it. He had caused this awkwardness between them and made Roman think he didn't like him, all because he couldn't handle his attraction. He would have to have a long talk with Roman and clear the air.

Roman finished bandaging his arm and he looked pleased with the job. He went back into the kit and reached up towards Seth's face. Seth flinched away, surprised and he saw the hurt flash in Roman's eyes.

"There's a small cut on your neck too." Roman said quietly.

"There is?" he asked, surprised.

Roman nodded. "May I continue?"

"Yes." he said feeling like crap for hurting Roman yet again.

Roman quickly finished up without another word. He headed for the door and left before Seth could say anything.

Seth flopped down on the bed in frustration. Why couldn't he just be normal? Why couldn't he say, 'Hey Roman, I like you. Would you go on a date with me?' As soon as that thought entered his mind he remembered what happened the last time he let someone get close to him and his heart leapt up into his throat. He couldn't handle that again, he was better off alone.


	5. New Friendship

_School was over but Seth stayed behind to talk to one of his teachers and it was much later than he was used to staying. He knew detention would be over soon and he also knew that Sheamus, Rusev, Wade and Alberto were probably there. They were in detention almost every day. He hurried to his locker and packed up his homework as fast as he could. Suddenly the locker door hit him right in the face. He groaned in pain but was happy that he hadn't worn his glasses that day._

 _"Look who's here lads." Sheamus said leaning against the lockers with his arms crossed._

 _"If it isn't little Sethie, the loser." Wade taunted._

 _He was frustrated and his face hurt. "Can't we do this tomorrow? I have to get home."_

 _"No can do, pendejo." Alberto sneered. "We have to beat you everyday. It's the rules."_

 _Wade laughed and Sheamus looked at Rusev and said. "Rusev, crush."_

 _He closed his eyes and waited for the pain._

 _"I wouldn't do that if I were you." he heard a voice say._

 _He opened his eyes and looked at the newcomer. He recognized the guy but he didn't know his name. He was tall with messy, sandy blonde hair and he had a scary look in his eye. He was also holding a baseball bat._

 _"What are you doing Ambrose?" Wade asked, backing away when Dean walked closer._

 _"Whatever I want to." Dean said, swinging the bat absentmindedly. "Leave the kid alone and I won't need to use Charlene here on all of your heads."_

 _Sheamus rolled his eyes and gestured to the rest of the guys to follow him._

 _He breathed a sigh of relief but tensed up when the guy with the bat came closer._

 _"You okay?" Dean asked him._

 _"Yeah, thanks." he said shuffling his feet._

 _"The name's Dean." Dean said draping the bat over his shoulders and hooking his arms over the bat. "And this is my girl Charlene."_

 _He looked at the bat and shook his head at the thought of someone naming their baseball bat. "I'm Seth."_

 _"If those guys hassle you any more, come find me." Dean said spinning on his heel and walking away._

* * *

Seth woke up breathing hard and his heart was racing. He shook his head and tried not to think of the past again. He saw that it was morning and he decided to get up and make Roman some breakfast to repay him for taking care of him. He padded out to the kitchen and started looking through the fridge and cupboards and settled on pancakes and bacon. His parents hadn't been around much when he was growing up so he had to learn how to cook for himself.

He set about making the pancakes and humming quietly to himself. He heated the pans so he could cook the bacon and pancakes and jumped when he turned around and saw Roman sitting on a chair watching him with a little smile.

"Good morning." Roman said, voice still deep from sleep.

"Good morning." he said shyly. "Hope you don't mind me cooking. I wanted to thank you."

"It's fine." Roman said. "Make yourself at home."

He nodded and went to the fridge to get the blueberries he saw there to add to the pancake batter.

Roman walked to the stove to see what else he was cooking. It was at that moment that he noticed that Roman wasn't wearing a shirt. OMG Roman was shirtless and he was incredible to look at. His shoulders were broad and muscular, his chest was large leading down to defined abs and his arms were huge and muscular and one arm had a long tribal tattoo running down from shoulder to wrist. He wasn't sure if he was drooling or not, but he did know that he was blushing hard. He saw Roman start to turn and he turned away hoping he wouldn't notice that he was blushing.

"I'll go grab a shirt and help you with the bacon." he heard Roman say and he nodded his head, not trusting his voice.

By the time Roman got back he thought that his blush had gone down enough that he could at least look at Roman. They worked together, at the stove and breakfast was ready in no time.

They sat down to eat and he almost felt happy. Roman looked happy too and it made him feel good. He decided that now was the time to have that talk with him.

"Roman, I want us to start over." he said putting his fork down and looking at Roman.

"What?" Roman asked in confusion.

He took a deep breath. "We've had a bit of a rocky start because of me and I want to start over and be friends."

"Where's all this coming from. Is it because of last night, because I don't want you to force yourself to be friends with me. You're not comfortable around me." Roman said, sadness flashing in his grey eyes again.

"Look, you're a good guy and I do like you." he said quickly. "I want to be your friend and this isn't about last night. I wanted to talk with you yesterday at work, but you were avoiding me."

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable and I thought the best way to do that was to stay away." Roman said.

"I don't want you to stay away." he said blushing. "I want to be your friend."

"Okay, but I think we need some rules." Roman said as he sat back and crossed his arms.

"...Okay." he said hesitantly. "What kinds of rules?"

"Relax, they wont be hard." Roman said rocking back on the legs of his chair. "I will try my best not to touch you, which will be hard for me since I like to touch everyone. So no hugs."

Seth nodded but was a little sad. When Roman held him yesterday after the attack he had felt so good, warm and safe and he wanted to feel that way again. It was for the best though, he couldn't get dependent on Roman. He couldn't allow it.

Roman continued. "You will need to tell me if anything I do or say makes you feel uncomfortable so I know not to do it again."

"I think I can handle that." he said, not believing that Roman was so understanding.

"You have to go out with me at least once every two weeks." Roman said. He must have noticed the panic in Seth's eyes because he quickly followed with, "As friends I mean, to the gym, or a football game or something."

"Okay." he said. So far all the rules were easy to follow.

"I think that is all." Roman said, leaning his chair forward again. "But I would like you to try and talk to me a little more and hopefully some day you will feel comfortable enough to add some eye contact too."

"Honestly, the eye contact will be the hardest for me." he said, looking at the table in embarrassment.

"That's okay. I don't want to push you so hard." Roman said reaching forward like he was going to hold Seth's hand before remembering the rules and stopping himself. "You don't have to look at me if it makes you feel better. Maybe some day you will feel comfortable enough to."

"I'm sorry I'm so difficult." he whispered, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I can't believe anyone would put in so much effort to be my friend."

Roman was quiet for a minute. "You're worth the effort, Seth."

He fought the tears back before whispering, "Thank you."

Roman sighed. "Let's finish this amazing breakfast you cooked for me and get to work."

Seth nodded and started eating again, feeling both disappointed in himself and happy that Roman wanted to be his friend.

* * *

After they ate, Roman went to get dressed for work and he loaded the dishwasher for him and made each of them a lunch to bring to work. Roman drove him back to his apartment and he ran in and quickly got ready to go to work. They had a little time before they had to be at work so they stopped and picked up good coffee for everyone since Roman knew what everyone liked. He felt so much better around Roman now, he didn't feel pressured and they even managed to talk for a while. By the time the elevator got to their floor, he was even smiling and he could see out of the corner of his eye that Roman was smiling too. When the door opened he heard a loud squeal.

"Oh my god, are you guys together?" Nikki yelled, running over to them excitedly. "Chris, they're together!"

Seth froze in complete shock at what Nikki said, he was so shocked that he couldn't even blush. He stood there holding the tray of coffee so tightly that he was surprised that he didn't tear the tray in half.

"Calm down everyone, we're not together." Roman said quieting everyone down. "We're only friends and not the kind with benefits."

He heard a chorus of disappointed groans from his co-workers, but he still didn't move. He felt Roman try to take the tray from him and he uncurled his fingers from it and let him.

Roman handed out the coffee and he heard them talking. "I think Seth's broken." he heard Nikki say.

Becky came over and grabbed his arm and he flinched hard.

"Are you okay?" she asked in concern.

He smiled nervously. "Yeah, just shocked is all."

"Sorry we got so excited." she said squeezing his arm. "We've been rootin' for you two to get together since the day you got here."

"Really, why?" he asked curiously.

"C'mon dude." she said rolling her eyes. "We can all tell that you guys like each other. You practically drool all over each other."

He shook his head. "We're only friends, we'll never be anything more."

"That's too bad." she said, patting his arm. "He's the sweetest, nicest guy ever and he would take good care of you if you let him."

He opened his mouth to deny his feelings but Becky interrupted him.

"It's okay, I won't mention it again." she assured him. "I just hope you can find happiness."

He nodded and smiled lightly at her and went to his office to start the day.

* * *

It was a rare day when they all gathered in the lounge to have lunch. Seth grabbed a seat next to Roman and Nikki sat next to him.

They had just started eating when Chris asked. "Why are you both eating the same lunch?"

He looked down at the lunches he had packed for him and Roman and gulped, not sure what to say.

"Because we spent the night together." Roman answered smoothly.

His mouth fell open in shock and his fork fell from his fingers and clattered on the table.

Roman sighed. "He was attacked by two muggers near my house and he was hurt so I made him stay in my guest room."

"Really?" Chris asked. "Did you call the cops?"

He finally broke out of his shock. "Yeah, we were able to fight them off and the police arrested them. Well Roman did most of the work, he punched one out and broke the others nose." he glanced toward Roman and smiled. "He probably saved my life."

"Wow!" Nikki said, leaning forward listening to the story. "That's why we call him Superman."

"You were hurt?" Becky asked in concern. "Are you okay?"

"One of the guys had a knife and he cut my arm and nicked my neck." he said, uncomfortable with everyone looking at him. "Roman bandaged me up and I'm okay."

"I'm glad they got the guys." Chris said, shaking his head.

"Me too." Roman said. "When I saw that Seth was bleeding, I really wanted to kill them."

Seth looked down at his hands in his lap and smiled to himself. He was so lucky that he had people that cared about him. He glanced over to Roman and wished that he could hold his hand.


	6. An Old Love

Three weeks went by and Seth was still happy. He was friends with his co-workers and he felt confident enough to call Roman his best friend. He had met Nikki's boyfriend John, Chris's wife Jessica and Becky's new girlfriend Sasha. He was more and more comfortable with Roman but he still struggled with making eye contact with him and they still didn't touch. His feelings for Roman didn't go away, they only increased and it frustrated him.

For their first friend-date, they had gone to a football game and ate junk food and cheered their hearts out. He couldn't remember the last time he had had so much fun. This time the weather was bad so Roman had invited him over to play video games. They played most of the day and ordered take-out for dinner.

They were eating their Chinese food at the table and it had been such a nice, relaxing day that he didn't want it to end.

"Hey, do we have time to watch a movie?" he asked, playing with his chopsticks nervously. "Or do you want some time alone?"

"Movie sounds great actually." Roman said with a smile. "You can choose what we watch."

"Cool." he said, relaxing again. "I think Gods of Egypt is out on Netflix."

"I've been wanting to watch that." Roman said. "I missed it when it was in theaters."

"Me too." he said. He walked to the cupboard, got out a glass and poured himself some iced tea. He had been to Roman's house a few more times since he was attacked and he felt comfortable enough to do these things now. He refilled Roman's glass and Roman smiled at him and he felt his stomach flutter again like it always did when Roman smiled at him.

* * *

They sat on Roman's comfortable leather sofa, close but not touching and watched the movie. A month ago Seth couldn't imagine doing something like this. Sitting next to a man in a darkened room watching a movie was something he hadn't done since he was a teenager. He still couldn't believe the progress he had made over the last 4 1/2 weeks. He hung out with Roman, had lunch with Becky everyday, joked with Chris and talked with Nikki. This was what he wanted when he moved to Florida, a new life, a better life and a chance to move on.

He watched the movie, but he was conscious of Roman sitting so close to him. A large part of him wanted to reach over and hold Roman, but he pushed that thought away and tried to lock it up. He couldn't take the risk. He pulled his legs up on the sofa next to him and continued watching the movie. He started feeling tired and his eyes started to droop and eventually he fell asleep on Roman's sofa.

* * *

He woke up in the middle of the night with his head laying on Roman's broad shoulder. He gasped, but didn't move. He saw that Roman was also asleep and breathing steadily. When he fell asleep, he must have fallen onto Roman. He stayed where he was, looking at Roman's beautiful face and enjoying how Roman felt against him. He was so warm and his skin where their bare arms were touching, was so soft. He wanted to touch more of Roman's body and the urge to lick him was almost too much to bear. He felt his cock stir and it scared him, he hadn't felt anything like this since he was a teenager and he didn't know what to do. There was absolutely no doubt anymore, he wanted Roman and worst of all he was falling for him.

He sat up, away from Roman and waited until he felt like he was under control before waking Roman up and sending him to his room. He went into the guest room and tried to fall back asleep.

* * *

 _"_ _Hey, kid."_ Seth _heard a voice say._

 _He looked around and saw Dean sitting on the steps of the school, smoking a cigarette._

 _"Hey." he said, moving over to the guy that saved him from a beating. "I don't think I got to say thank you when you helped me with those guys. So thanks."_

 _Dean waved his hand dismissively. "No prob. Have they bothered you again?"_

 _"No, it's actually been nice not getting the shit beat out of me everyday." he said, hoping he sounded cool. "I wonder if they found a new punching bag yet."_

 _"They're probably too busy jerking each other off to care." Dean said, making an obscene hand gesture._

Seth _laughed. He laughed embarrassingly loud and long, like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world and when he stopped, Dean was looking at him in amusement._

 _"You're weird, kid." Dean said shaking his head. "I like it."_

 _He smiled at Dean and Dean smiled back._

* * *

A week later, Seth was finishing up with his last patient before lunch with Roman. He was still managing to suppress his growing feelings for Roman. His friendship was so important that he wasn't going to try and hide or push him away anymore, he was just going to be more careful not to end up in a situation like that again.

He waved goodbye to the little boy and his parents and was about to go grab his lunch when another exam room door opened. He leaned against the wall and watched Roman say goodbye to a little girl and her mother. Roman crouched down to the little girl and ruffled her hair with a smile.

The little girl threw her arms around Roman's neck. "Thank you Dr. Reigns."

"You're very welcome." Roman said as he hugged the little girl and them waved goodbye to her and her mother.

He walked up behind Roman and put his hand on his shoulder. "That was so cute."

Roman turned and smiled at him. "Cuteness is one of the perks of working with children."

"True." he said. "You ready for lunch?"

"Yeah." Roman said walking down to the lounge. "You know, cuteness is also one of the perks of being friends with you."

Seth blushed and shook his head. "Don't make things weird."

Roman laughed and he smiled, loving the sound.

They sat down at the table and started eating their lunches.

"Seriously though." he started. "You're really good with kids. Do you want kids some day?"

Roman sighed. "Yes I do. I come from a large family and I always wanted one of my own. I don't know if I can though, it's hard for gay men to adopt."

Seth gulped. He now had confirmation that Roman was gay. He had always been too nervous to ask. "That's too bad, you'd be a really great dad."

"Thanks." Roman smiled. "How about you, do you want kids?"

He took a deep breath. "Honestly, I've never thought about it. I'm not interested in being in a relationship and I wouldn't want to raise a kid alone."

Roman nodded. "Raising a kid alone would be hard."

They went back to eating and he couldn't stop thinking about Roman being a wonderful father. Whoever ended up with Roman would be a very lucky man. Too bad it couldn't be him.

* * *

It was almost the end of the day and Seth's last appointment had gone quickly so he was chatting with Chris and Nikki up front. He looked up when the elevator opened and saw a tan man with long blonde hair get out.

"Hi Chris, Nikki. Long time no see." the man said, swiftly walking through towards the offices.

"Holy shit!" Chris said after the man disappeared down the hallway. "What the fuck is Tyler Breeze doing here?"

"That bastard." Nikki said, anger rolling off her. "He's going to ruin all of Roman's progress."

"Who is that guy?" he asked, curiously.

"That's Roman's ex." Chris said crossing his arms. "Probably going to manipulate Roman into getting back together."

Seth curled his fingers into a fist. That was the kind of guy Roman liked? He couldn't compete with Tyler. Just one look and he could see how pretty and confident he was. He was small and cute, with a good body, everything Seth wasn't.

"Please tell me I'm hallucinating and that wasn't Tyler Breeze I just saw talkin' to Roman." Becky said as she walked into the room.

Nikki's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm sorry to say that it was."

"Damn." Becky said, linking her arm with Seth's. "Chris you shoulda tackled him and threw him out on his arse."

Chris sighed. "Believe me, I wish I could have."

Everyone looked solemn, as if someone had died. He wanted to ask what was up with Roman and Tyler but he didn't want to pry into Roman's personal matters. If Roman wanted him to know then he would tell him."

"We're all going out tonight right?" Becky asked hopefully. "We need to find Roman a new man."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Chris asked. "Take him to a gay bar?"

"Nah." Becky said. "Bars are full of people that only want to hook up and Roman's a relationship guy."

"But I thought Roman and Seth... oof." Nikki said before being cut off by an elbow from Becky.

"So our mission is to find Roman a boyfriend." Becky said. "Agree?"

"Agree." Chris and Nikki said.

Nikki looked at him. "Say you agree. Tyler constantly cheats on Roman and then guilts him into taking him back. He's totally ruined Roman's self-esteem and he's finally moving on."

Seth didn't hesitate. "I agree." Roman was too good to be treated so badly. How could anyone ever cheat on Roman?

"Hey guys." Roman said from behind them. "Why are you all hanging around for?"

"Just talking about our plans for tonight." Chris said smoothly. "You're still coming right?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Roman said with a smile.

"But Romie, I thought we were going to talk?" Tyler whined.

"We will, but before I go out." Roman told Tyler.

They all walked into the elevator and the awkwardness was tangible on the way to the ground floor.

"Looks like it's raining pretty hard." Roman said when they got off the elevator.

"I don't want my hair to get wet." Tyler pouted up at Roman. "Can I ride with you?"

"Sure thing." Roman said, "But I have to drive Seth home too."

Seth was surprised because the had never discussed Roman driving him home but just went with it anyway.

They all walked out to Roman's car and Tyler practically shoved him out of the way so he could sit in the seat next to Roman. He got into the backseat and buckled his seat-belt. Roman started driving in the opposite direction from Seth's apartment and he wondered if Roman forgot about taking him home.

"Seth lives further away from you so I'll have to drop you off first." Roman said to Tyler.

When they got to Tyler's apartment, he got out reluctantly and glared at Seth as stood next to the door. Seth got out to move into the front seat and he heard Tyler hiss at him. He got in and slammed the door, smirking at Tyler through the window and Tyler glared back.

He didn't know what had come over him. He just taunted Tyler and that was not something he would normally do. He wasn't jealous, didn't think he was jealous anyway, but he definitely felt protective of Roman.


	7. My Boyfriend

"Sorry I made you come with us but I wanted to get away from Tyler for a little while so I could think." Roman said as he drove away from Tyler's apartment.

"It's fine, I didn't really have anything to do anyway." Seth answered, looking over at Roman and seeing the stress on his face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Roman let out a breath. "Yeah, I do, but can it wait until we get to my place?"

"Sure." he said, reaching over to fiddle with the radio. He wanted to take some pressure off Roman and give him some time with his thoughts.

They drove in silence to Roman's house and went inside. Roman brought them both a Coke and they sat down on the sofa. Seth curled his legs under him and waited for Roman to talk.

"Tyler and I met while we were in university." Roman started. "I was his tutor and eventually we started dating. In the beginning he was really attentive and sweet but he started becoming distant and kind of possessive. We were together for 2 years before I found out he had cheated with another guy. I was heart-broken. I loved him and gave him everything and I tried to be the best boyfriend that I could, so I couldn't understand why he would do something like that."

Seth took a sip of his drink and let Roman tell him his story.

"He came to me in tears and begged me to forgive him. He said that I was spending too much time at school and he had gotten lonely and felt like I didn't love him anymore, so he hooked up with someone." Roman said as he leaned his head back on the sofa. "I felt like it was all my fault so I forgave him. I wanted to be a doctor so I was studying hard, but I always tried to spend as much time with Tyler as I could. A few days after I graduated, I caught him in bed with another guy. I was crushed and I felt guilty for neglecting Tyler again, so I broke up with him."

Seth was so angry with Tyler. How could he keep breaking Roman's heart over and over and then making him take the blame. Tyler was a monster and he wanted to keep them apart more than anything.

"Of course the breakup didn't last." Roman continued. "We got back together and everything was fine for another year or so. He was still cheating on me, but he had gotten better at hiding it. When I started working with Chris, I thought that everything would be better, but I caught him again. We had gone out with friends and he disappeared to the bathroom for a long time. I was worried so I went to look for him and I saw him blowing some random guy in the bathroom. I just turned around and walked away, all the way home and I packed up my stuff and moved out."

Seth leaned over and placed his hand on Roman's arm and squeezed gently, trying to give him some comfort and support and Roman gave him a small smile.

"He tried to get back together with me, but I refused and I haven't seen him for 3 years until today." Roman finished.

"Does he want to get back together again?" Seth asked quietly.

"Yeah." Roman laughed in disbelief. "Do you believe it. He walked in and expected me to just take him back right there on the spot."

Seth gulped, scared of asking the question and even more scared of the answer. "Do you want him back?"

Roman sighed. "No, never again. But I don't know what to tell him."

"Well 'no' sounds good." Seth said calmly.

Roman shook his head. "You don't know him like I do. He would never believe it and he would just try harder to get me back."

"The guys want to find you a new boyfriend." he said, sipping his Coke. "Would that work."

"I'm not looking for a new boyfriend just so I can get rid of my old one." Roman said in frustration. "That wouldn't be fair to him."

"Why don't you get someone to pretend to be your boyfriend?" Seth asked, curiously hopeful that this might work.

"It could work but I don't know anyone that I could ask to do something like that." Roman said in defeat. "He knows all of my friends so he wouldn't buy it."

Seth's heart started racing. Could he do what he was thinking. "I could pretend to be your boyfriend."

Roman's head whipped around to look at him. "No way in hell."

Seth tried not to feel hurt but his heart ached. He knew he wasn't a catch, but wasn't he good enough for Roman to pretend to like him? "Why not?" he asked quietly. "I know I'm not handsome or pretty, but would it really be that hard to convince people that you could like me?"

Roman sat up straight. "What? No, it wouldn't be hard at all, that's not what I meant. You're really good looking and under different circumstances I would take you up on your offer but I can't do that to you."

Seth didn't know what to do or say. "Why not."

"He wouldn't believe it because he knows me too well." Roman sighed. "He knows how affectionate I am. I would have to hold your hand, put my arm around you or kiss you in public and I couldn't force you to do that. You still have trouble looking at me and today is the only time you've touched me since we became friends."

Seth became quiet at that. Roman was trying to look out for him and didn't want to force himself on him. Roman had always been so kind and understanding since the day they met. He had helped him open up and make friends, trust again and his life was so much better for it. He had been so miserable for so long, and Roman helped him be happy. He owed him so much for helping him and this was something that would save Roman from more pain. Tyler didn't deserve him and Roman didn't deserve to be treated like that. He wanted to help Roman, to protect him like Roman always protected him.

"I'll do it." Seth said ignoring the shock on Roman's face. "You're my best friend and I want to help you. Besides, I think Tyler is already jealous of me. He shoved me, hissed at me and glared, so it shouldn't be that hard to play off that."

"Seth no." Roman said, turning on the sofa to face him. "If you do this, it will destroy our friendship. You'll blame me..."

"How can I blame you when it was my idea?" he cut Roman off. "This will work, trust me."

Roman shook his head. "This is the beginning of the end of our friendship."

Seth scoffed. "Don't be so dramatic. Drop me off at home and then go tell Tyler all about your amazing new boyfriend."

* * *

After Roman dropped him off Seth had a quick dinner and jumped in the shower. He got out and wrapped a towel around himself and wondered what he should wear tonight. It was silly but he wanted to dress up and look good for Roman even though they were only fake dating and only when Tyler was around. For most of his life he had dressed to blend in, he didn't want anyone to notice him, he didn't want any attention, but now he wanted to look good. He had dyed part of his hair blonde less than a week before he moved to Florida to symbolize that he was changing and when he did, he had stopped at a store and bought some new clothes that he hadn't even worn yet.

He went to his closet and pulled out the new clothes. He dropped his towel and looked at himself in the full-length mirror on his closet door. His arms were fairly large and muscular, his chest and abs were defined and his thighs were muscular. He didn't really check out guys anymore except for Roman so he didn't know what would be attractive to other men. He wondered if his thighs were too thick. He turned around and looked at his butt. It was firm, but not too round and altogether he didn't think he looked too bad.

He chose a pair of black skinny jeans that he never would have worn before and they fit him like a second skin. He put on a tight white button down shirt that showed off his tan and he kept it untucked. He unbuttoned a few more buttons than he usually would showing off a bit of his chest and rolled up the sleeves, showing off his arms. He brushed his hair down smooth and put in his contact lenses. Roman had told him that he looked cute in his glasses, but he didn't want to look cute tonight, he wanted to look like someone that Roman deserved.

He had just put his shoes on when there was a knock at the door.

He opened the door and smiled at Roman while looking in his eyes.

Roman looked surprised for a moment and he shook his head and smiled back. "Hi, you look great."

His heart sped up at the compliment. "Thanks, so do you."

They walked out to Roman's car and started the drive to the bar.

"So how did it go with Tyler?" he asked, a little worried.

"About how I thought." Roman said with a sigh. "He threw a temper tantrum, cursed me out, cried and then tried to seduce me. All his usual tactics."

"And it didn't work?" he asked hopefully.

"No way." Roman said proudly. "I don't want him anymore. I've really moved on for good."

"Thank god for that." he said in relief. "You deserve a much better man than him. Only the best for my friend, right?"

Roman smiled softly. "Right."

* * *

As they walked up the street towards the bar, Seth slipped his hand into Romans. Roman turned to look at him and he smiled back, showing that he was okay with it.

"Just practicing." he told Roman.

Roman nodded and they continued walking.

Truthfully, he wasn't okay with holding Roman's hand. He loved it. He felt so close to Roman and his heart was racing. He had never held hands with a man before and it felt great. He didn't feel one bit of fear, he knew Roman wouldn't hurt him.

They held hands all the way into the bar and he thought that Becky and Nikki were going to faint from the shock. Chris just smiled that fatherly smile that he did sometimes.

"What's with the hand holding?" Becky asked with a huge grin on her face.

Seth leaned in towards the middle of the table. "We're pretending to be dating to get rid of Tyler." he said as quietly as he could in the crowded bar.

"That's a way better plan than we came up with." Nikki said gleefully. "When he sees you two together he'll hit the roof."

Roman reached over to the pitcher and glasses and poured Seth a beer. He took it from Roman and smiled gratefully.

* * *

About an hour after they got to the bar Seth noticed Tyler sneaking in the front door. He put his arm around Roman's shoulder and moved in close to his ear. "Tyler is here." he whispered, nervous about being so close to Roman again.

"What?" Roman said in anger. "I shouldn't be surprised. He knows that we come here every Friday night."

Seth let his arm drop but discretely moved his chair closer to Romans.

"Hello again everybody." Tyler said, coming up to their table. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all Tyler." Chris said politely. "Pull up a chair."

Tyler took a chair from the next table and sat next to Roman forcing Nikki to move over so she wouldn't get squished.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced." Tyler said, looking at Seth with disdain. "I'm Tyler Breeze, the love of Roman's life."


	8. Feelings

Seth watched as Tyler smirked at him and he wanted to punch that smug look off his face.

Roman slammed his hands for on the table. "What the..."

"Don't Ro." Seth put his hand on Roman's arm and rubbed soothingly. "He just wants attention. I'm Seth Rollins." he said to Tyler, enjoying the look of anger on his face.

Chris cleared his throat. "So Tyler, what have you been up to since we last saw you?"

"Actually, I'm a model now." Tyler boasted with a smirk. "But with these looks, how could I not be? My agent's even thinking of getting me into acting."

"Wow, good for you." Nikki said with fake enthusiasm. "What kind of modelling?"

Tyler flipped his hair. "Oh you know, fashion mostly but I have an underwear shoot coming up soon."

Seth rolled his eyes and focused on Roman. He looked tense and angry so he reached out and held his hand, rubbing it with his other hand soothingly. Roman looked at him and smiled gratefully and Seth smiled back. The conversation flowed onto different topics and Seth kept holding Roman's hand and Roman started to relax. Tyler tried to keep talking about himself and get closer to Roman, but it wasn't working.

After a few hours, Seth had to excuse himself and go to the bathroom. Holding Roman's hand was amazing but he needed to get away from the tense atmosphere for a few minutes. He used the stall, washed his hands and splashed cold water on his face. He was wiping his face off when the door opened and Tyler walked in. He threw his paper towel into the garbage can and went to walk past Tyler.

"Roman will never love you, you know." Tyler said going over to the mirror and fixing his hair. "He will always love me."

Seth crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "I don't think you know him as well as you think. He doesn't want you anymore."

"Please. Roman will always want me." Tyler said, gesturing to his body. "He will never get enough of all this."

"You must have a really thick head." Seth said in frustration. "Roman doesn't want you, he damn sure doesn't need you and he's moved on with someone else. You're embarrassing yourself by pursuing him like this."

Tyler sneered. "I'm not the one embarrassing myself, you are if you really think that Roman would want an uggo like you when he can have me."

Seth tried not to let that comment bother him. He knew he wasn't attractive and that Roman could do so much better than him, but this wasn't about him. This was about protecting Roman.

"I'm not going to be catty or tell you to stay away from Roman because I trust him when he says he doesn't love you anymore." Seth said, striding to the door. "I just hope that you're a decent enough person not to hurt him more than you already have." He opened the door and walked away from Tyler.

Seth walked back over to the table feeling defeated. All of his earlier confidence was gone and he just felt tired.

Roman looked at him, concern all over his face. "Are you all right?"

Seth nodded. "Where are the others?"

Roman took his hand and in a spur of the moment decision, he sat down across Roman's lap with his arm around his shoulders.

Roman raised his eyebrow and Seth shook his head sadly and put his head on Roman's shoulder.

"Chris had to go home and the girls are dancing. I don't know or care where Tyler went." Roman said, running his hand down Seth's arm in a soothing motion.

Seth felt so sad and worthless. All he needed to do was convince Tyler to leave Roman alone and he had failed miserably. How could he have ever thought that he could fool Tyler? Roman could never love someone like him. A tear fell down his cheek and landed on Roman's shirt.

Roman saw the tear. "That's it. Let's get out of here."

He got up from Roman's lap and saw Tyler scowling at them. Roman waved at Becky and Nikki and grabbed Seth's hand and led him out the door. Roman dropped his hand as soon as the door closed and Seth grabbed it back again, not ready to let go.

They walked back to Roman's car and Roman opened the door for him because he still wouldn't let go of his hand.

Roman got into the car and put on his seat-belt. He turned to look at Seth. "I'm so sorry. I knew this was a bad idea."

Seth sighed and turned his head to face Roman. "It's my fault. I don't know how I thought anyone could believe that you would date someone like me."

"What are you talking about?" Roman asked angrily. "Why do you always put yourself down like that? You're sweet, kind, funny and smart. You're hot and you have a sexy body. I would be proud to have you as my boyfriend!"

Seth blinked at Roman in confusion and his face was beet-red. "Y...you don't have to say that. I know I'm not any of those things."

Roman turned to face him and held his hand. "You're all that and more. You really don't know what an amazing man you are do you?"

Seth lowered his head and felt his eyes fill with tears. "You wouldn't say that if you knew the truth about me." he said with a whisper.

"So tell me the truth then, I promise it won't change the way I feel about you." Roman said quietly, holding his hand tighter.

Seth shook his head furiously. He couldn't tell Roman, he would be disgusted with him, and he needed Roman in his life. He would be lost without him.

Roman frowned. "If you ever want to talk about anything, please come to me. You're my friend and I care about you. I hate seeing you so sad."

Seth nodded and turned to look out the window. Roman let go of his hand to start the car and they drove away. They drove in silence for a few minutes.

"When I said I was sorry, it was because I was sorry for putting you through such a tough time tonight." Roman said, hands tightening on the steering wheel. "I didn't know Tyler would be there and that you would have to start acting so quickly. I know how hard it is to have that much contact with me and I hope that it didn't hurt you too much."

"I wasn't sad from pretending to be your boyfriend." Seth said quietly, never taking his eyes off the window. "I was sad because Tyler found me in the bathroom and upset me. It's not your fault, I'm just oversensitive."

"Tyler made you feel bad about yourself?" Roman growled out. "That bastard. He has no right saying anything to you at all."

"Don't worry about it." Seth said, turning to look at Roman. "It's in the past now."

"Seth, thank you for doing this for me, but I think that we shouldn't pretend to be dating anymore." Roman said. "I don't like that it's hurting you."

"Roman, we're doing this. I'll just be more careful when he's around." Seth said, gently putting his hand on Roman's arm. "After tonight, I'm more determined than ever to keep him far away from you."

* * *

 _"_ _Dean, I don't think this is a good idea." Seth said to Dean as he stood lookout and waited for Dean to finish picking the lock. "What if we get caught."_

 _"_ _Stop your whining, we wont get caught." Dean said as he jiggled the lock. "I've done this before."_

 _Seth_ _stood shivering in the cold night air, breaking the law with Dean Ambrose. This was so not like him, but Dean was the only person that had ever tried to be friends with him and he wanted to impress him._

 _"_ _Got it!" Dean said excitedly as the lock clicked open. "Never doubt me kid."_

 _"_ _What if there's alarms or cameras?" he asked as Dean opened the door to the small store at school._

 _"_ _Didn't I say I've done this before?" Dean asked in frustration. "I haven't been caught before and I won't be caught now."_

 _Seth nodded but he was shaking from fear and the cold now. If they got caught he would be expelled or jailed and his dreams of being a doctor would be over before they really started._

 _"_ _Too bad they don't have booze here." Dean said as he grabbed a few bags of potato chips off the shelf. "You need to loosen up. Steal something, it will make you feel better."_

 _Seth looked over the contents of the small store and picked up a chocolate bar. He hesitated for a minute but saw Dean looking at him so he put it in the pocket of his hoodie._

 _Dean smiled. "Now you're getting it, but the trick is not to take too much or people will get suspicious and don't take a lot of the same things."_

 _Dean put a few more things into his backpack and they left the store. They sprinted off to the baseball diamond and sat down at home plate. Dean handed him a stolen ice cream sandwich and they sat there in the dark eating their stolen treats while his heart was filled with guilt and shame._

* * *

Seth jolted awake sweating and his heart was racing. Damn these memories, would he ever be free of them? He looked at the clock and saw that it was just after 5 am. He got out of bed and shuffled to the living room. He turned on the TV and watched some crappy reality shows, anything to take his mind off the past. Eventually he got up had breakfast and took a shower before flopping back on the couch.

He thought about last night. He couldn't believe that he had touched Roman so much, held hands, put his arm around him and even sat in his lap. Even more unbelievable, it had all felt so right, so natural and he wouldn't mind touching Roman again.

His cell phone rang from it's place on the coffee table.

S: "Hello?"

R: "Hey it's me, Roman. How are you?"

S: Roman's concern made him smile. "Good. A little tired but good."

R: "I was wondering if you would like to come over this afternoon. I want to make it up to you for everything that happened yesterday."

S: "I don't know, how are you going to make it up to me?" He said with a smile.

R: "Anything you want, man. I'll take you anywhere you want to go, buy you anything you want or let you beat me at video games. Your call."

S: "Would you cook for me?"

R: "Of course, whatever you want."

S: "What if I want Filet Mignon or Lobster Thermidor?"

R: "That's okay but I might have to google a recipe and go shopping first."

S: He giggled. "No that's okay. But a steak might be nice."

R: "That's a request that will be easy to fill."

S: "See you later."

R: "Later."

He got up and changed from his sweat pants to a pair of jeans and put on a t-shirt. He grabbed his phone, keys and jacket and went to Roman's house.

* * *

Seth knocked on Roman's door and swallowed hard when Roman opened it wearing jeans and a tight tank top.

"C'mon in." Roman said smiling widely and holding the door open.

He walked past Roman and took off his sneakers leaving them by the door. They walked into the living room and flopped down on the sofa.

"So have you decided what you want me to do for you other than cook?" Roman asked.

Seth hadn't really thought of anything else he wanted other than to spend time with Roman but ever since he saw Roman in that shirt with that beautiful, intricate tattoo and those muscles so clearly on display, his mind was definitely coming up with a few inappropriate ideas.

"The food is enough." he said, averting his eyes from Roman's muscles. "I wasn't expecting anything else."

The doorbell rang before Roman could say anything and Roman went to answer it. Shortly after Seth heard loud talking and he went to investigate.

"Just leave Tyler." Roman said in exasperation. "I don't want to talk to you."

Seth walked up behind Roman and put his hand on his back. "Sorry Tyler this isn't a good time to visit, we're about to go out on a date."

"Yeah." Roman said lowering his voice. "We don't have time to talk even if I wanted to."

Tyler scoffed. "You're going on a date dressed like that?" he said gesturing to Roman's shirt. "And with him dressed like a bum."

Roman sighed. "I was just going to change and Seth's dressed casually, not like a bum."

"Look at his glasses." Tyler continued, pointing to Seth. "He looks like such a dork."

"Stop trying to drag Seth down. You're just making yourself look bad." Roman said, pushing Tyler out the door. "And for your information, I think he looks super hot with the glasses." He closed the door and locked it.

"So I guess this means we have to go out on a date now?" Seth asked.

Roman sighed. "I guess so. Knowing Tyler he's probably going to watch us all day. I hate this. I would rather spend time with you on our own terms, not his."

Seth nodded. "How about going to the movies? It'll be dark so if he follows us, at least we wont see him the whole time."

"Sounds good." Roman said with a nod, "I'll change my shirt."

Seth sat down on the bench to put his shoes on.

"By the way, I meant what I said about your glasses." Roman said with a wink before he walked away.

Seth put his shoes on and tried to will his blush away.

* * *

They showed up at the movie theater and decided to forget about Tyler and just enjoy each other's company.

"Do you want popcorn, candy or both?" Roman asked him while they waited in line.

"Hmm." Seth said, tapping his lips with his finger as he looked at the selection. "Maybe just popcorn." he said turning to Roman. Roman was staring at him with a dazed look on his face.

Roman shook his head. "Okay, no candy."

They got their popcorn and drinks and went into the theater choosing seats in the middle, near the top. They talked and laughed as the seats filled up and he noticed Tyler sneak in with another group and that he took a seat a few rows behind them on the left.

The room dimmed and the previews started. Seth lifted the divider between his and Roman's seats and inched closer so he was pressed up against Roman's side from shoulder to knee. He took a deep breath and pulled Roman's arm around his shoulder. He felt Roman tense. "Just go with it." he said and Roman relaxed. He leaned his head on Roman's shoulder and they shared the popcorn between them.

Seth wasn't really interested in the movie, but he was enjoying having Roman's arm around him and being snuggled up beside him. Roman was warm and soft and smelled wonderful and before long Seth fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Seth woke up when the movie ended and he heard Roman saying his name. He looked around and people were getting up and leaving and he knew he would have to get up, but he didn't want to.

"Do we have to move?" Seth asked, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and looking at Roman.

"Yeah we do." Roman said smiling at him.

Seth sucked in his breath when Roman leaned down and grazed his lips against his forehead. His heart started racing and he smiled softly at Roman.

* * *

"Sorry about sleeping through the movie." Seth apologized as they were driving away from the theater. "I didn't sleep well and woke up early this morning."

"It's okay. At least you didn't snore." Roman said with a smile. "Although I think you might have drooled a little bit."

"I did not." he said indignantly.

"You did." Roman said, smiling even wider. "There's a wet spot on my shirt."

"I don't drool." Seth pouted, crossing his arms.

"Over me you do." Roman taunted. "I saw you the first time you saw me with my shirt off. I think there was drool involved."

Seth's mouth dropped open in shock. Had he really drooled that time, he had thought he only blushed. "You wish." he replied weakly.

Roman laughed and Seth's heart warmed at the sound.

"I guess we should continue this date at a restaurant." Roman said when he finished laughing. "It's an ancient dating tradition."

"Okay." Seth said. "Any place you want to go is fine with me."

* * *

They had dinner at a quaint little restaurant on the patio and Roman drove them back to his house. They were curled up on the couch watching football when Roman got a phone call. Seth could hear Roman talking in the kitchen and it didn't sound like a good call.

A few minutes later Roman came back into the room. "Tyler has struck again. He called my cousin and told him that I have a new boyfriend and it got back to my parents and they want to meet you. Tomorrow."

"I... I don't know if I can do that." Seth said, panicking slightly. "We can't fool your parents."

"It wouldn't be that bad." Roman said pleadingly. "I told them that you're really shy and that it should only be a few people, not the whole family. I hate to ask, but please could you come with me? It'll just be a few hours and lunch."

"O... okay." Seth agreed reluctantly.


	9. Meet the Family

Roman grabbed him around the waist and kissed him. Seth felt Roman's tongue push inside his mouth and he moaned, kissing him back just as passionately. He broke the kiss long enough to pull Roman's shirt off and then their lips were back together and he was running his hands all over Roman's chest, loving the hardness of the muscles and the softness of the skin. Roman pulled Seth's shirt off and pushed him to lay back on the couch before kissing his way down his body. He grabbed Roman's long beautiful hair and brought his lips back up for another intense kiss.

"Oh God, I want you so much." Seth said, panting as he looked into Roman's smoky grey eyes.

Roman smirked. "Good because I'm gonna make you feel so good. I'll make it so you can't even remember your own name."

He gasped as Roman kissed him again and he was so turned on that he couldn't take it anymore. He wrapped his legs around Roman's waist tightly and brought their lower bodies together. He rocked his hips against Roman and their erections rubbed together and the friction was just what he was looking for.

"Roman..." he moaned, feeling Roman run his hand over his covered length. "God, Roman."

* * *

"Roman!" Seth shouted as he woke up from the sexiest dream he had ever had. He lay there sweating and panting and his dick was rock-hard. He couldn't believe that he had just had a dream about being with Roman like that and even more unbelievable, he was turned on. He turned over on his side and tried to ignore his erection and clear his mind of Roman, but it was useless. He must have been spending too much time with Roman lately and touching him too much and his sleeping mind was stupid enough to turn that into a dream. Nothing like that would ever happen with Roman.

He closed his eyes and remembered the look of happiness on Roman's face when he agreed to go to meet his parents, how he had been so happy that he forgot that he wasn't supposed to touch Seth and he hugged him hard. He thought about how amazing it had felt to be in Roman's strong arms again and his hand tentatively crept into his boxers. He stroked himself gently and shuddered wondering how it would feel if Roman touched him. He felt like an asshole for touching himself while thinking about his best friend, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't remember ever being this turned on and he stroked himself faster, groans falling from his lips. Thoughts of Roman swirled through his mind as he pleasured himself and he came, quietly moaning Roman's name.

As he got up to clean himself, he felt unbearably guilty and he wondered how he would be able to look at Roman when he picked him up in the morning. Despite his inner turmoil, he fell back asleep quickly and had sweet dreams for the rest of the night.

* * *

Seth was running late when Roman came to pick him up that morning. He didn't know what to wear to meet a guys parents. He was just in his underwear and sweatpants when he heard the doorbell ring and he ran to the door, throwing it open and pulling Roman inside.

"You have to help me." Seth rushed out dragging Roman into the bedroom and pushing him in front of the closet. "I don't know what to wear."

"Calm down Seth, it's just a casual lunch, not the prom." Roman muttered.

"Please?!" he begged close to panicking. "I want to look like a good and proper boyfriend."

Roman sighed and looked in the closet and pulled out a white polo shirt. "This looks good." Roman said as he passed him the shirt. "Just wear some shorts or light pants like me. It's a casual barbecue remember?"

"But it's your parents and I need to make a good impression." Seth said looking through his drawer for a pair of cargo shorts. "Are you sure it will be good enough?"

Roman was quiet behind him and he turned around and saw Roman looking at his body and he realized for the first time that he didn't have a shirt on. He quickly put his shirt on and walked into the bathroom to put his black shorts on and came back out to inspect himself in his full-length mirror.

Roman came up behind him. "See, you look great and you'll make a great impression. My family's going to love you just the way you are."

Seth tried to smile, but he was so nervous that it looked a little like a grimace. "I just have to fix my hair and I'll be ready."

"You look ready to go already." Roman said following him to the bathroom.

"I need to hide as much of the blonde in my hair as I can. You're family is going to think I look ridiculous." he said, picking up his brush.

Roman grabbed the brush out of his hand. "You don't have to do that, you look great and they won't care about your hair. My cousin has pink in her hair and my cousin's wife has purple and teal."

Roman started brushing Seth's hair and he relaxed and let him. He brushed it the way Seth usually wore it, separating the dark brown from the blonde and arranged it into a neat bun at the nape of his neck. "There," Roman said, putting the brush down on the counter. "Perfect."

Seth looked at Roman and smiled gratefully, he always made him feel better when he was in a panic.

"Now let's go." Roman said, shooing him towards the door. Seth put on his shoes and grabbed his keys and phone before leaving. He grabbed Roman's hand as they walked to the car and felt the warm comfort he always felt when he held Roman's hand.

"We have to make a stop before we leave the city." Seth said glancing at Roman. "I want to bring your mother some flowers."

"She'll love that." Roman said, opening the car door for him like a gentleman.

* * *

Roman's family lived 30 minutes outside of the city and Seth was nervous but not as nervous as he thought he would be.

"Why did Tyler tell your family about us?" Seth asked curiously. "It doesn't make much sense if he wants you back."

Roman sighed. "Tyler didn't meet my family until after he cheated on me the first time. My family and I are close and they knew. They never said anything to him about it but they didn't like him and they were barely polite to him. I think that he thinks they wont like you either and they will scare you off."

Now Seth was getting nervous and Roman could tell. "Don't worry, I meant what I said earlier, they will love you."

* * *

Seth and Roman were walking side by side up the walkway when the door flew open and an older woman with short hair came running out right to Roman. He could only guess that it was Roman's mother because she squeezed him into a crushing bear hug and he lifted her off her feet. Seth smiled at the display and when Roman put her down his eyes were sparkling.

"Mom, this is Seth, my boyfriend." Roman said smiling through the introduction.

"Hello Mrs. Reigns. Nice to meet you." Seth smiled shyly and passed her the bouquet of flowers he had brought her.

She took the flowers and passed them to Roman before pulling Seth into a tight hug. He was surprised but he returned the hug looking at Roman who was smiling fondly at them.

"I'm so happy to meet you Seth." she said as she let go of him and took the flowers back from Roman. "These must have been your idea, Roman only gives me flowers on Mother's Day."

"Yes, they were his idea." Roman said grabbing Seth's hand in his. "He really wants to make a good impression."

Mrs. Reigns smiled. "We're not that scary Seth, unless you hurt our little boy, that's when you have to worry."

Seth nodded and Roman squeezed his hand.

"Let's go in the house." Roman said. "I'm starving."

"This family is always starving." Mrs. Reigns said and they walked into the house and into the kitchen. "Your brother won't be able to make it today, he had to go on a business trip."

"I know." Roman said with a sigh. "He can meet Seth next time."

Mrs. Reigns was looking Seth up and down. "Roman, your boyfriend is too skinny, you have to do a better job of taking care of him. I know you can cook so feed that boy."

"Okay Mom, I will." Roman said rolling his eyes.

"I saw that." Mrs. Reigns said even though there was no way she could have actually seen it.

Seth heard a loud stampede of feet coming from the front door and two almost identical large men bounded into the room.

"Uce!" the men said at the same time as they circled Roman and hugged him.

Roman laughed and slapped their backs as they broke apart then turned to Seth.

"Guys this is my boyfriend Seth." Roman said as he pulled him closer to the twins. "Seth these are my cousins, Jimmy and Jey. We're as close as brothers."

Seth shook hands with both of the twins and tried not to look as awkward as he felt. "Nice to meet you."

"You weren't kidding when you said he was shy." Jey said, looking him over. "But he is cute, I'll give you that."

"I gotta tell you that Naomi is pissed that she couldn't come today. She really wants to meet Seth." Jimmy said to Roman.

"Sorry, I just thought it would be best if only close family was here for the first time." Roman said, putting his arm around Seth. "You know how daunting the full family can be."

"Lunch is ready." Mrs. Reigns called.

They all walked out to the backyard and Roman brought Seth over to meet his father.

"Dad, this is Seth." Roman said to his father as he stepped out from behind the grill.

Mr. Reigns wiped his hands on his apron and shook Seth's hand. "Good to meet you Seth."

"Good to meet you too." Seth said, smiling.

"Come sit down you guys." Mrs. Reigns said to them.

They walked over to the table on the patio and he sat down next to Roman while Roman's dad sat at the head of the table. Even though there was only 6 people eating, there was enough food to feed an army. There was food that he recognized and food that he didn't but he tried everything and it was delicious.

They talked through lunch and he liked seeing Roman with his family. Seth's own family was not very close, his parents were workaholics and seeing such a close family was nice. Everyone was nice to him and he was feeling much more relaxed. It seemed that the whole family liked football so they had a very lively conversation about their favourite teams..

After lunch was over Mrs. Reigns made Roman, Jimmy and Jey clean up and Seth sat out on the patio drinking lemonade with Roman's parents.

"Do you know about Tyler?" Mr. Reigns asked, playing with his drink.

Seth looked down at his hands. "Yes, most of it anyway."

"Just don't do what Tyler did, okay." Mr. Reigns said looking him in the eye. "If you do, don't expect forgiveness from us or him."

Seth took a deep breath. "The last thing I want to do is hurt Roman, he's been nothing but wonderful to me since we met and I want to be the same to him."

"I see the way you look at him." Mrs. Reigns said, patting his arm. "Don't be afraid to love with all your heart. Your heart is never wrong."

He nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

A week went by and they hadn't seen or heard from Tyler. Seth was happy that it seemed he got the message and was leaving Roman alone, but he was sad also because he didn't have an excuse to touch Roman anymore. They had just left the bar for their Friday night gathering and this time everyone brought their boyfriends and girlfriends except him and Roman and he felt kind of left out. He missed the physical intimacy he had developed with Roman, but he couldn't ask him for that and Roman wouldn't touch him on his own.

Seth had drunk a little more than he usually would so they took a taxi to Roman's house.

"I'm sleepy." he said as he waited for Roman to unlock the front door.

"I know." Roman said ushering him into the house. "You can go to sleep in the guest room."

"Walk me there." Seth said looking up at Roman with puppy dog eyes.

Roman shook his head in amusement and walked him to the guest room. Seth stumbled in the doorway.

"Carry me the rest of the way?" he asked, "Please?"

Roman picked him up bridal style and carried him over to the bed and his heart sped up feeling Roman all around him, holding him.

Roman set him down gently on the bed but Seth grabbed him before he could move away and pulled him down on top of him. Before he could even think, he pressed his lips to Romans.

He felt Roman try to pull away but he stopped abruptly as soon as Seth licked over his bottom lip. Roman groaned and kissed him back and their tongues met, shyly exploring. Seth gasped. He never knew a kiss could feel like this. His body felt like it was on fire and he wanted more, so much more. He clung to Roman's neck and hair desperately putting everything he had into the kiss. Their kiss became increasingly passionate and he could feel himself getting hard. He closed his eyes as the feeling became more intense and he felt Roman's erection against him.

Seth's eyes flew open, pure fear and adrenaline rushing through him and he pushed Roman off of him and leapt off the bed.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this." he said and he turned and ran out of the room and out the front door.

Seth ran all the way back to his apartment slamming the door behind him and locking it. His phone had rang the whole time he was running and he assumed that it was Roman so he shut his phone off. His panic and fear were so intense, he had to run into the bathroom and throw up. When he was done, he sank down onto the floor, tears streaming down his face.

"Oh Roman." he whispered.

* * *

 _ ***Some of you might be mad at me after the next chapter when the past is revealed.**_


	10. Hurt

_It was Saturday morning and school was out for the summer. He was hanging out at Dean's house. He and Dean had been friends for one month but he still felt uncomfortable with Dean sometimes. At least he hadn't broken the law again._

 _Dean was sitting on the floor drinking a beer and Seth was flipping through a car magazine._

 _"_ _This is fuckin' boring." Dean yelled as he threw his empty beer can in the corner. "I need to get laid."_

 _Seth stood up to leave. "Well, I'll get going then so you can call a girl over."_

 _"_ _I said I needed to get laid, but I never said I wanted a girl." Dean said getting to his feet and stalking towards Seth._

 _He swallowed nervously. "Well call a guy then. I gotta get home."_

 _Before he could move Dean grabbed him by the waist and pulled him in for a kiss. He tried to pull away, he was gay but he wasn't into Dean at all, but Dean grabbed him in a tight embrace and forced his tongue into his mouth. Dean tasted like cigarettes and beer and it turned Seth's stomach a little._

 _He could feel that Dean was starting to get hard so he pushed him as hard as he could, struggling to get out of his grip. Dean was strong and he had at least 30 pounds on Seth, but he managed to push him away a little. That's when Dean punched him in the face hard._

 _"_ _You little fuckin' tease." Dean yelled as he punched Seth again and again. "I've waited a fuckin' month for you to come to me willingly and I'm not going to wait any longer."_

 _He held his aching face. "What do you mean? I thought we were friends."_

 _Dean scoffed and kicked him in the ribs. "Who wants a friend like you? I only saved you from those jackasses so I could have a piece of you first." Dean kicked him again. "The only good thing about you is your ass and I'm gonna take it."_

 _Seth turned over and tried to crawl to the door, but Dean grabbed his legs and turned him over. He tried to scream but Dean hit him in the face and his mouth filled with blood. Dean straddled his legs and started punching Seth's body everywhere he could and Seth cried out with every hit, trying desperately to defend himself and get away but he couldn't, Dean was just too strong._

 _He prayed that Dean would punch him so hard that he would pass out because he was in so much pain. "Please stop." he cried, his voice barely above a whisper and Dean smiled when he heard him._

 _"_ _Oh I haven't even begun yet slut." Dean said and he pushed Seth's shirt up and pinched his nipples so hard that he yelled. Dean smirked and he pulled Seth's track pants and underwear off._

 _Seth wanted to fight back but he could barely move anymore. He tried to kick Dean away, but Dean just laughed and punched him in the stomach so hard that the wind was knocked out of him._

 _Dean flipped him over on his stomach and Seth heard him undo his belt and unzip his jeans._

 _"_ _NO. Help!" he screamed as loud as he could, but he didn't have much breath left after the last punch._

 _Dean leaned down over him and whispered in his ear. "You're mine bitch and you'll always remember this, I promise."_

 _Seth tried to hit Dean with his elbow but Dean just laughed again and he felt Dean rub his cock against his ass._

 _Terror like he had never felt before overwhelmed him and he knew that he couldn't stop this. He was completely powerless._

 _Dean pushed into him with one hard thrust and Seth screamed until his lungs hurt. He had never felt so much pain in his life as he felt himself being ripped open by the boy he had thought was his friend._

 _Dean continued thrusting hard and the pain was so excruciating that he couldn't believe he didn't pass out. Oh how he wished he would pass out. He screamed until he couldn't scream anymore and he heard Dean grunting above him as he sped up his thrusts. Finally when the pain and fear got to be so intense that he thought he was going to lose his mind, he felt Dean cum inside him._

 _"_ _Hell yeah." Dean said as he slumped down on top of Seth. "Best ass I ever had."_

 _He lay there silently afraid to move or say anything, hoping Dean would forget about him. Dean pushed himself off of Seth and stood up, tucking himself back in his jeans and doing them up. "I'm going out for some more beer." Dean said, crouching down by Seth's bloody, tear stained face. "When I get back, we'll have lots more fun together, okay?"_

 _He closed his eyes until he heard the door open and Dean leave. He turned over onto his back, whimpering and he cried out when his torn ass hit the cold floor. He pulled his shirt down and looked around for his pants and underwear._

 _Every movement he made hurt him somewhere in his body but he forced himself to keep moving. He couldn't be here when Dean got back. He couldn't survive it again._

 _He shimmied into his clothes, each time whimpering in pain and he slowly tried to get to his feet. He was in agony and he wanted to pass out. He looked down at the floor and saw all of the blood on the floor, most from his face but some from his ass where he had lay down before he managed to stand. He limped as fast as he could towards the door, praying that Dean wasn't back yet._

* * *

Seth couldn't sleep, he kept having nightmares about what Dean had done to him when he was 17. Ever since it happened, he had had nightmares about it, but they had lessened since he moved to Florida. Every time he drifted off to sleep, he would dream about Dean until he just decided to get up. He shuffled to the living room in his pajamas and tried to focus on watching TV, but there was nothing on at this time of the morning. He didn't know what to do about Roman and he couldn't avoid him forever, he would have to see him at work on Monday.

He kept his phone off and started cleaning his already neat apartment to take his mind off what had happened last night. He gathered his laundry and cleaned his bedroom and bathroom. He ate breakfast before cleaning the kitchen and the living room.

At noon he turned his phone on and checked his messages. There were 10 missed calls from Roman and 15 missed texts and he deleted them all without reading them and 5 missed calls from Becky. He sighed and called Becky back.

S: "Hey, Becky. What's up?"

B: "Where the hell were you? Why didn't you answer my calls?"

S: "Sorry, I just wanted some time to myself."

B: "What happened with Roman? He said you ran out last night and wont talk to him. He's worried sick about you."

S: "What did he tell you?"

B: "Only what I just said and he asked me to call you and find out if you're okay."

S: "Just tell him that I want to be alone right now and that I'm fine and I'll see him at work on Monday."

B: "Why can't you tell him yourself?"

S: "I just can't okay. Just tell him what I said."

B: "Okay, I'll tell him... If you ever need to talk to someone, you can talk to me."

S: "I know, Becky and thank you for caring."

B: "Of course. Love ya dude."

S: "... Love you too."

He felt terrible dragging his friends into his disaster of a life. He would have to clear the air with Roman on Monday and tell him that they couldn't spend time together anymore, he hated it but he just couldn't be with Roman the way he wanted to.

* * *

He spent Saturday afternoon washing the floors and windows, cleaning out all his cupboards and the fridge, just wasting time. He was able to sleep and only had one nightmare but he was still tired when he woke up on Sunday morning. He decided to get out of the apartment and go for a run and he stopped for a quick lunch before going home and showering. As he was getting dressed he heard his phone ring and went to answer it.

C: "Seth, you have to get to the hospital quick."

S: "Why? What's wrong?"

C: "Roman was hit by a car."

He didn't even say goodbye to Chris, he just put on his shoes and ran to the hospital as fast as he could. He couldn't believe that Roman was hurt, he was just so strong and full of life and Seth didn't know what he'd do if Roman didn't make it. He ran to admitting and found out what room Roman was in and he didn't even wait for the elevator he just ran up the stairs and down the hall skidding to a stop only when he got to the room. He looked into the room and Chris saw him and gestured him to wait outside.

"What happened?" Seth asked, hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"Hit and run." Chris told him. "He's pretty banged up but he'll be fine. He doesn't have a concussion but his shoulder got dislocated. They have him on some pain meds so he's asleep now."

Seth sighed in relief, Roman was going to be okay. "Thank God."

Chris nodded. "I've got to get home to my kids. You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah." he said absentmindedly. "I'll sit with Roman for a while."

Seth said goodbye to Chris and walked into Roman's hospital room and looked down at the sleeping man. He had some cuts and bruises on his arms and face and his dislocated shoulder was wrapped in bandages. Seth's heart clenched at how vulnerable Roman looked lying there. He always looked so lively and happy that seeing him like this was almost painful and he remembered what had happened between them on Friday night. He was the one that hurt Roman and made him worry and he didn't deserve it, Roman would never hurt him like others had. He touched Roman's hand and a tear slid down his face. What if Roman had died thinking he had done something wrong? What if he thought that Seth didn't want him?

Seth carefully got up into the bed with Roman, trying not to wake him and lay down with his head on Roman's good shoulder and gently wrapped his arm around him. He closed his eyes and listened to Roman's strong and steady heartbeat and eventually it lulled him to sleep.

* * *

"Seth wake up." he heard a gentle voice saying. He didn't want to wake up, he wanted to stay right where he was forever.

"Wake up baby boy." he heard the voice say again and he slowly opened his eyes and saw beautiful grey ones looking back at him.

"You're awake." Seth said looking at Roman and brushing a lock of hair out of his face.

"Are you okay?" Roman asked quietly. "You shouldn't be touching me, I don't want to scare you again."

"You shouldn't be asking me if I'm okay, you're the one that was in the accident." he said, snuggling in closer to Roman. "How are you feeling."

"I've got a hot guy in my bed so I'm feeling great." Roman joked.

"When Chris called me, I ran here as fast as I could. I was so scared that you had been hurt." Seth said quietly, not looking at Roman.

"That's sweet but I'm okay." Roman said, lying still and trying not to move. "You should go home, you look tired."

Seth stiffened. "You want me to leave?"

"I think it would be the for the best." Roman said, sighing.

"You hate me because I didn't sleep with you Friday night don't you?" Seth whispered trying to keep tears from forming in his eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Roman said angrily. "You really think I'm that kind of guy? I'm not, I'm glad you stopped it if you weren't ready. I want you to go because we're too close right now and I know how uncomfortable that makes you. You asked for me to leave you alone and I want to honor that request."

Seth was relieved. Roman was still looking out for him like he always did. "If you don't hate me and I'm not hurting you then just shut up and let me lay here."

"Whatever you want Seth, but I won't touch you." Roman said closing his eyes.

A tear spilled out of Seth's eye as he realized something. He was in love with Roman, completely and totally in love with this man that cared for and respected him. A man who put Seth's needs above his own every time and never complained. The realization scared and saddened him because he knew he couldn't give Roman what he needed even if it was what Seth wanted too. He was too broken.


	11. Courage

Seth got to work early Monday morning so he could sneak over and see Roman before he started his day.

Roman had let him stay as long as he wanted and he had only left when the nurses kicked him out when visiting hours were over. They hadn't talked much but Roman had let him lay with him and touch him as he liked. He had stroked his arms, ran his fingers over his chest and Roman had groaned when he accidentally grazed over his nipple. He rubbed his hand over Roman's abs and he had wanted to touch lower, but in the end his shyness stopped him. When he was with Roman in these quiet times, he could almost forget what happened with Dean and just _feel._

He was eager to see Roman but he took the elevator this time and didn't run. When he got to Roman's room, Roman wasn't there. He found a nurse and she told him that Roman had been released. He was disappointed that Roman didn't call him but he didn't blame him. He had ignored Roman's calls for days and Roman had every reason to believe he wouldn't answer.

He got on the elevator and went up to his floor. When the doors opened he was shocked to see Nikki hugging Roman.

Seth smiled and went over to them. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here, remember?" Roman said as he tried to untangle Nikki from his body.

"Yeah but you're hurt. You should be resting at home." Seth said, hands on his hips.

"Ooh. Mom's mad." Nikki said teasingly.

Roman laughed. "I'm only taking easy patients today so I wont hurt myself. Relax, I'm a doctor and I can take care of myself."

Becky walked to the front desk. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the two cuddle buddies." she said smirking slyly at Seth and Roman.

Nikki laughed. "You guys are so busted. We went to visit Roman yesterday and saw the two of you snuggled up together sleeping. It was adorable."

Seth blushed. "We weren't cuddling, I just fell asleep."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. Look at this." she said holding up her cell phone. "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Seth looked at her cell phone in horror. There it was, a picture of them sleeping together in Roman's hospital bed with small smiles on their faces. He reached for the phone to delete the picture but Nikki pulled the phone back before he could grab it.

"Now, now Seth." Becky said showing her own phone. "Even if you deleted her pictures, I still have mine."

"Please delete them." Seth whined. "No one can see those. We're doctors so it's unprofessional."

"No can do buddy boy." Becky said giggling. "It's far too adorable to delete."

He heard Roman chuckling and gave up. He knew Becky well enough by now that he knew he wouldn't win.

* * *

Two months passed and Roman was fully healed from his car accident. They still hadn't heard anything from Tyler and were glad that it seemed he had finally given up. Their friendship was still slightly strained, but Seth was too scared to talk to Roman about it. He was scared Roman would end their friendship because he was so wishy-washy but so far nothing had happened. He still tried to touch Roman though and Roman allowed it, but he never initiated it again. It was frustrating for Seth because he knew he was the one responsible for sending mixed signals.

Today was a big test for Seth, it was another friend-date and he had asked Roman to go swimming with him. He was nervous because it was the first time they would be so undressed together. He was waiting for Roman to pick him up and he was so nervous that his legs were shaking. It wasn't just Roman he was nervous about, but all the other men at the water park. In his heart he trusted Roman, but not strangers.

His doorbell rang and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He opened the door and Roman must have seen how nervous he was because he said that they didn't have to go and could do something else.

"I need to do this." he told Roman firmly.

"Okay, let's go." Roman said before leading him out to the car.

* * *

They pulled up to the water-park and paid the admission. As they walked to the changing rooms Seth's nerves tripled. What if there were naked guys in there? He had always avoided the locker room at the gym, dressing before he went and showering at home. Hell, he never even used a urinal in a public bathroom, preferring the privacy of a stall. He took a deep breath and followed Roman into the changing room that was thankfully empty. They walked over to the free lockers and put their bags away.

Seth saw Roman start to take his pants off and he gulped. _Was he going to see Roman naked? Please let me see Roman naked!_ He watched with bated breath but Roman was wearing swim trunks underneath his loose pants. He tried to keep the disappointment off his face. He took his own pants off and he was also wearing his swim trunks underneath his pants. Roman took his shirt off and he licked his lips at the sight of Roman's hard body. Roman turned around and grabbed a hair tie and as he tied his hair up, Seth watched the muscles of his back bunch and stretch. It was struggle but he managed to tear his eyes off of Roman and he tied his hair and stripped his own shirt off. He noticed Roman looking at him and he blushed. He hoped Roman liked what he saw.

"You ready?" Roman asked, heading for the door outside.

"Yeah." Seth said simply. He knew he needed to do this.

When they walked outside it felt like everyone was looking at them and for once it wasn't all in his head. Roman was being ogled by most of the women and a few men and Seth was getting his own share of looks. He wanted to hold Roman's hand for strength but he couldn't. He needed to do this by himself.

* * *

They went swimming and on some water-slides before taking a break and resting on some lounge chairs. Seth's nervousness was decreasing but he didn't know if that was because he was handling things well or because he felt safe with Roman nearby.

So many women walked past them or stopped to flirt with Roman and Seth was starting to get upset. He knew Roman wasn't interested in women but he was jealous of these women who could walk around and so freely flirt with Roman, touch him and say pretty or sexy things to him but he couldn't because it would eventually lead to things he wasn't sure he could ever do no matter how much he wanted to. So he just sat back and watched Roman talk to those women and sometimes flirt back.

While Roman was busy, Seth decided to get them something to drink. He walked over to the juice bar and stood in line waiting for his turn but suddenly he felt a hand on his bare shoulder. He turned around quickly and saw a shorter blonde haired man smiling at him. He smiled back tentatively.

"Hi, I'm Trevor." the man said. "I've been wanting to meet you since you got here."

"Oh hi, I'm Seth." he said, not knowing what else to say.

"I would have come over earlier but your friend is kind of intimidating." Trevor continued. "Lucky for me that he's surrounded by women and I can finally get you alone."

Seth couldn't believe it, a guy is flirting with him. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to flirt back but he didn't want to be mean and tell him to go away because he didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Yeah Roman can be intimidating if you don't know him." Seth said, studying the man. He was good looking, blonde, bright blue eyes and his body was lean and toned. There was only one problem with Trevor, he wasn't Roman.

"So Seth, are you having a good time?" Trevor said running his fingers over Seth's arm in a gentle caress before he leaned over and whispered in Seth's ear. "Or do you want to go somewhere with me where I can show you a real good time."

Now Seth was panicking. Trevor was stroking his arm more insistently and was looking at him with a predatory look.

"There you are." Seth heard Roman say and he jumped away from Trevor feeling both relieved and incredibly guilty.

"I was just getting us some drinks." Seth said not looking at Roman. "This is Trevor." he said gesturing to the pretty blonde man.

"What can I get you." the server said and Seth made their drink order, glad to be out of that uncomfortable situation, at least for now. He hoped that when he turned around Trevor would be gone.

The server passed him their juice and he turned around and Trevor was gone. He passed Roman's drink to him and they started walking back to their loungers.

"What happened to Trevor?" he asked Roman.

Roman made a sound in his throat that Seth thought sounded like a growl. "I told him to leave. Do you have a problem with that?" Roman asked sounding angry.

Seth shook his head no and reclined in his lounger. He sipped his drink and tried to relax but he could see Roman out of the corner of his eye and he looked angry. His jaw was clenched tight and he was frowning. He didn't know what had made Roman so mad, he seemed fine when Seth had left to go get drinks. Maybe one of the women had said something to make him mad.

Trevor walked by and winked at Seth. He heard that growly noise from Roman again and he was glaring at Trevor's retreating back.

 _Was Roman jealous?_ That was impossible. Roman would never be jealous over someone flirting with him. The very idea was laughable so Seth immediately dismissed the thought.

* * *

They finished their drinks and played some more in the water. As they were leaving two kids ran by and knocked into Seth and he started to fall. He felt a strong arm wrap around his waist and a warm chest pressed against his bare back as he was steadied. The skin touching his was quickly taken away and he turned to look at Roman who looked away. Seth's skin burned where Roman had held him and he wanted to feel more of it, more of Roman.


	12. Love Me

They went back to Roman's house but Roman was quiet for the whole ride back. Seth showered and changed in the guest room. He had stayed over so many times that Roman had told him to leave some clothes and things and it was basically Seth's room now.

He went into the kitchen and saw that Roman was already showered and dressed and starting dinner.

"Can I help with anything?" Seth asked watching Roman carefully.

"I think I got everything under control." Roman answered, his face stiff. "You can go watch TV if you want."

He didn't want to. He wanted to stay and joke and talk with Roman like they always did but Roman was acting so strangely. He left Roman and went into the living room.

He turned on the TV and listened to Roman bustling around in the kitchen. He didn't know what was wrong but he wanted to fix it. He got up and went back into the kitchen, just wanting to be near Roman. He set the table and made a pitcher of fresh lemonade. Roman always had fresh fruit and vegetables in his house.

Roman finished cooking and served up the food and they sat down at the table to eat.

Seth started eating the dinner Roman had made for them and it was delicious. Roman really was a good cook and everything he made tasted good.

"Are you mad at me Roman?" Seth asked, not being able to stand the quiet anymore.

Roman looked up at him. "Of course not."

"Then why are you acting so weird ever since we were at the water park?" He continued. "You seemed so angry. Did one of those girls say something to you?"

Roman sighed and threw his crumpled up napkin down on the table. "I _was_ angry. I was angry at that damn guy flirting with you."

"Why would that make you angry?" Seth asked trying to figure out what Roman was talking about. "Did you want to ask him out? I wasn't interested in him at all."

"I was angry because I was jealous of _him_ , okay!" Roman said as he got up from the table and stormed out the door.

Seth sat there stunned. Did Roman mean what he thought he meant? Did Roman have feelings for him? No that couldn't be right. Maybe Roman was the kind of guy that got friend-jealous. That must be it.

Seth followed Roman out onto the patio and saw him standing stiffly looking up at the stars. He put his hand on Roman's shoulder and turned him around. "Come back in and finish your dinner. The chef put a lot of time and effort into making such a delicious meal, we should be in there enjoying it."

Seth felt Roman's shoulder relax under his hand and he smiled a small smile. "Is the food really that good?" Roman asked.

Seth smiled back. "It's the best."

Roman smiled easier now and they went back to finish their dinner. He sat back down in his chair but still felt the need to be honest about Trevor. "I was only trying to be polite to Trevor, I didn't want to spend time with him." Seth said, playing with his napkin. "He was making me uncomfortable and I was relieved when you came over and sent him away."

"Oh." Roman said before sipping his lemonade. "So you don't mind that I told him that I was going to fuck you through the mattress tonight and that he'd better get lost before I broke his face?"

Seth choked on his food and spent several minutes coughing and taking small sips of his lemonade as Roman slapped him on the back.

"You really have to stop choking on your food." Roman teased. "I might not always be around to help you."

"Funny how it only seems to happen around you." Seth croaked out, massaging his neck.

Roman smirked. "Yeah, funny."

* * *

They finished eating and watched a movie before going to their separate rooms. Seth got ready for bed in his usual t-shirt and sleep pants. He lay down in the comfortable bed and tried to fall asleep. The days events kept running through his head and he couldn't sleep. He smiled remembering seeing Roman in just his swim trunks, especially when he would rise up out of the pool and rivulets of water would run down his body like an intimate caress. He was as beautiful on the outside as he was on the inside and Seth was lucky that he got to be with him.

His thoughts went to Roman's reaction to Trevor. Did Roman really threaten to hit him if he didn't leave? It was so unlike Roman to act that way especially over someone talking to him. It seemed like an extreme reaction for friend-jealousy.

He thought back to what Roman said just before he choked. He was missing something important. _What was he missing?_ Seth thought hard and his face erupted into a blush when he remembered what Roman told Trevor. Was Roman really jealous? Did Roman like him the way Seth liked Roman?

When Seth was drunk and kissed Roman, he returned the kiss and got turned on. All this time Seth just thought that it was a natural male reaction and that it wasn't because of him, but what if it was? What if Roman liked him?

He had to know what Roman felt and he had to talk to him. He got out of bed and crept out of his room and down the hall to Romans. He quietly opened the door and walked over to the bed, looking to see if Roman was awake. His breath was steady and his chest was rising and falling slowly and easily. He could see that Roman's chest was bare under the blanket and he wondered what he was wearing on the part of his body that he couldn't see.

Seth slowly climbed up on the bed and tried not to wake Roman. He looked down at Roman and his heart clenched, he really was in love with him. But what kind of relationship could they have if he was afraid to touch Roman, or to be touched by Roman. What if he couldn't get passed what had happened to him? Roman didn't deserve to be dragged down by him, he deserved a whole man that could love him freely and openly. Roman shouldn't have to always hold himself back from showing his affection.

He leaned down over Roman's face and caressed it gently; he touched Roman's stubble and remembered how it had felt when they had kissed. Those kisses had haunted his thoughts and dreams and he wanted to kiss Roman again more than anything.

Seth swung his leg over Roman, straddling his hips and he leaned down and pressed his lips to Roman's. Roman's lips were so soft and tasted like mint from his toothpaste. He rubbed his cheek against Roman's, their stubble rubbing together creating a sweet friction and he wondered how Roman's stubble would feel rubbing between his legs. He noticed Roman starting to wake up and he pressed their lips together again, this time sliding his tongue between Roman's parted lips. Roman moaned and kissed him back lazily, their tongues caressing gently. Seth threaded his fingers through Roman's long soft hair and fitted their lips together tighter, kissing Roman more insistently and suddenly Roman's eyes shot open, blinking in confusion.

"Seth? What are you doing?" Roman rushed out as he reached over and turned on the light next to the bed.

Seth didn't answer but reached out and ran his fingers down Roman's bare chest, learning all the plains and valleys of Roman's muscles before Roman grabbed his hands and shoved them away.

"What the hell is going on here?" Roman yelled, trying to get out from under Seth.

Seth held Roman down firmly and bit his lip. He didn't want to force Roman, but he needed to _try_ , try to do something that he wanted to do if there was any hope of a future for them. "Please." he whispered.

Roman looked up at him in confusion.

Seth took a deep breath and drew up all his courage. "Please let me try..." he didn't know what else to say to Roman but he shouldn't have worried, Roman understood him.

"Okay." Roman whispered. "But if you get scared or want to stop, promise me you will leave. I don't want to hurt you."

Seth leaned down and kissed Roman gently. "I promise." he whispered against Roman's lips.

Roman groaned and finally they were kissing again, passionately just like the first time and Seth loved it. _How could kissing make you feel so good?_ He ran his fingers through Roman's hair again and pressed his full weight down on Roman's body almost like he was trying to fuse them together.

"Hold me please." he moaned into Roman's mouth and he felt Roman's arms come up and wrap around his back tentatively.

It wasn't enough, he needed to feel more. Seth sat back up and pulled his shirt off, not feeling shy about his body for the first time and he lay back down on top of Roman, their bare chests touching and rubbing together. He put Roman's arms back around him and they kissed again. It felt like all his nerves were firing and lighting up with warmth and pleasure where Roman's bare skin touched his.

He broke the kiss with a gasp and Roman started kissing his way down his neck, licking, nibbling and sucking on the skin there. Seth moaned at the pleasure Roman was giving him and he hardened in his pants. It always surprised him that Roman could turn him on so much when no other man could and he needed more.

Seth leaned down away from the distraction of Roman's mouth and touched Roman's chest and abs with his hands while trailing kisses over his collar bone. He felt Roman tremble underneath his touch and he smiled against Roman's skin. _He_ was giving this incredible, sexy man pleasure and he couldn't believe it. He moved over to Roman's nipple that was surrounded by the impressive Samoan tattoo and licked over the little nub before drawing it into his mouth and sucking. He heard Roman groan and the sound just made his dick harder. He moved over to the other nipple and as he moved, he felt Roman's erection pressing against him, hot and hard and this time it didn't scare him. He was the reason it was hard and he felt kind of powerful. He repeated his actions on Roman's other nipple and he saw Roman dig his fingers into the sheets. Seth knew that Roman was holding himself back from touching him but he wanted Roman to touch him, he wanted to feel those big hands on his body.

Seth sat up and looked down at Roman seeing how affected he was. "Please touch me." he said taking Roman's hands in his and placing them on his chest.

Roman sucked in a breath and gently ran his hands all over Seth's chest. When Roman's fingers brushed over his nipple, he jumped and moaned at the unexpected pleasure of it. He didn't masturbate often and when he did it was only to jerk himself quickly so he could get it over with, he never stopped to touch his nipples and was surprised that they were so sensitive. "Do that again." he begged and Roman complied, pinching them slightly and he whimpered. He dropped back down on top of Roman and kissed him hard, more turned on and desperate than he ever had been before.

Roman's hands roamed his back and slid up to his hair, cupping the back of his head and changing the angle of the kiss. Seth whimpered when Roman sucked on his tongue and he dug his fingers into Roman's shoulders to keep him grounded. His head was spinning and he felt like he would fly away at any minute.

He worked his hand down his body intending on touching himself but he brushed over Roman's erection causing Roman to break the kiss and groan. Seth got up and sat back and reached for Roman's boxers nervously, before slowly pulling them down and off. As it was freed, Roman's cock sprang up and forward and Seth's eyes widened. It was so big and smooth and long and he wanted to touch it, taste it but he didn't have the courage for that... yet.

Seth wondered how it would feel if their bare lengths were touching and he reached down and pulled his pants and underwear off. He bit his lip and looked at Roman and he was looking at him like he was some kind of treasure, something precious and it turned him on so much. He crawled back up Roman's body and lay down on top of him and kissed him like his life depended on it.

Their cocks rubbing together felt better than Seth ever could have imagined, hot skin against hot skin, their pre-cum helping them slide against each other even better. Seth rocked his hips against Roman's and they both gasped and held on to each other tighter, trapping their erections between their straining bodies and they rocked together, bucking their hips.

Seth moaned into Roman's shoulder as they rutted together, working themselves into a frenzy and he felt his stomach clench and his balls tighten. He raised himself off Roman because he didn't want to come on Roman's sheets, but Roman gripped Seth's cock and stroked him and he came all over Roman's chest and abs with a shout. Panting he reached for Roman to return the favor and Roman came in his hand moaning Seth's name.

Seth fell on the bed next to Roman, both of their chests heaving as they came down from their highs. Seth looked at his hand that was still covered in Roman's cum and he slowly brought it up to his mouth and he tasted it. He had never tasted cum before but it wasn't a bad taste and he hoped that one day he would be strong enough to taste it straight from the source.

He caught Roman looking at him but he wasn't embarrassed. He leaned over and scooped some of his own cum off Roman's chest and onto his finger and brought it up to Roman's mouth. Roman pulled his finger into his mouth and sucked before licking it clean and if Seth hadn't just come, he would have watching Roman savoring his taste.

Seth reached down for the blanket and covered them both before laying down in Roman's arms. Roman turned the light off and Seth finally fell asleep with a blissful smile on his face.


	13. Love Me Back

Seth woke up Sunday morning feeling lighter than he ever had before. He snuggled into the warm blankets and the strong arm around him and everything in his world just felt right. He nuzzled his face into Roman's chest and breathed in his scent before licking over the smooth skin.

"Are you trying to start something again." Roman's deep voice rumbled.

Seth blushed and hid his face in Roman's chest. "I don't know... maybe."

"You know we're going to have to talk sometime." Roman said cautiously. "We can't avoid it forever."

Seth sighed. "I know but can't it be later, I'm feeling too good right now and I don't want to move."

"Later's fine." Roman said with a little smile. "But you're going to have to move 'cause I'm covered in your dried cum and I need a shower."

Seth bit his lip and looked up at Roman. "Is there room in there for me?"

Roman was quiet for a moment. "Yes, if you want."

Seth smiled brightly. "I do want."

Roman shook his head in amusement and Seth got out of bed. Roman stayed where he was and Seth noticed him staring at his ass.

"Like what you see?" he asked Roman playfully.

Roman growled. "You know I do."

Seth reached over and grabbed Roman's hand, dragging him up and out of bed. He didn't know what had changed in him or when it changed, but he was walking around naked with another naked man and he didn't feel shy or scared, in fact he felt great.

"Oh, I gotta go get my toothbrush." he said, dropping Roman's hand. "Don't start without me."

Roman smirked. "Well you better hurry up then."

Seth practically ran to the guestroom and dug out his toothbrush before running back to Roman's room and into the bathroom. Roman was just putting toothpaste on his toothbrush and he ran up next to him and pulled his own brush out with a smile. _They were brushing their teeth together naked, what kind of world did he wake up in?_

Roman went over and leaned into the large walk-in shower and started the water. Seth's eyes dropped down to Roman's tight, muscular ass and he groaned, reaching out to grab a handful.

Roman sucked in his breath. "You're playing with fire baby boy."

"Maybe I wanna get burned." Seth said and suddenly the room was filled with tension as they stared into each others eyes, barely breathing, neither saying a word.

Finally Roman turned back to the shower and tested the water and finding it acceptable, he stepped in. Seth followed him and closed the glass door behind him. There were two shower heads so they each took one and started washing themselves with their backs to each other. Seth was worried that he had pushed Roman too hard. He had been so demanding both last night and this morning, thinking only of his own needs and pleasure. What if Roman hadn't wanted him at all and had only humored him last night. Was the greatest experience of Seth's life a regret for Roman?

He turned to Roman in a panic, gripped his shoulder and turned him around. Roman looked at him in surprise.

"Do you regret last night?" Seth gasped out, feeling like Roman's answer could destroy him.

"No way." Roman said and his soft eyes showed that he was telling the truth.

Seth released a breath he didn't even know he was holding as relief flowed through him. He threw his arms around Roman and kissed him hard. He felt that same overwhelming passion that he had last night and he moaned, pushing Roman up against the wall. Roman held him gently as if he might break and kissed him back with the same intensity. He felt himself becoming aroused again but right at that moment his stomach growled. Roman broke the kiss with a laugh.

"We should probably finish up and get you something to eat." Roman said smiling before he turned away and picked up the soap.

Seth grumbled and finished washing himself. He turned around to get the shampoo but looked at Roman's back. He picked up the soap and started lathering Roman's back slowly, he wondered if he could get addicted to touching somebody. It seemed that all he wanted to do was touch Roman everywhere all the time and he wished he could just lock Roman in a room and spend the rest of his life touching him and kissing him. It sounded like the perfect life.

"Thanks." Roman said, breaking him out of his musings. "That was nice."

He took a deep breath. "Can you wash mine?" Seth heard Roman turn around and he felt the soap on his back and Roman's fingers grazing his skin softly. He sighed and leaned into Roman's touch as he washed over his shoulders, down his back and down to the very bottom, stopping before he went close to Seth's ass.

"Thanks." Seth said shyly. He reached for the shampoo at the same time as Roman and their hands touched. Roman leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to Seth's before picking up the shampoo bottle and squirting some in each of their hands.

He smiled to himself as he worked his hair up into a lather and he heard Roman humming as he washed his hair too. The shower was over too soon for his liking and they each got out, Roman wrapped Seth up in a big fluffy towel before wrapping himself up and it made Seth feel happy and cared for. They towel-dried their hair and brushed it and Seth was starting to feel sad that their naked time would soon be over.

Roman walked into his bedroom and started getting dressed and Seth pouted as more and more of his bronze skin was covered up.

Roman must have known what he was thinking because he shook his head with a smile before steering him back to the guest room so he could put on his own clothes. He settled on a t-shirt and jeans but he was still feeling playful so he didn't bother with underwear. As he left the room he could already smell bacon frying and he quickened his steps.

"I could have cooked." Seth said as he entered the kitchen.

Roman looked up from the bacon and grinned. "You can make the eggs if you want."

Seth smiled and ran over into the kitchen gathering everything he needed. This felt nice, they had pleasured each other, woke up together, showered and now they were making breakfast together like a couple.

Roman was humming again as he turned the bacon and Seth sidled up to him and knocked his hip into Roman's playfully as he started cooking the eggs.

* * *

They ate breakfast and talked about anything but what they needed to talk about. Seth knew Roman wanted to talk about them but he wasn't ready yet. He just wanted to enjoy this new intimacy between them. After they cleaned up and put the dishes in the dishwasher they went into the living room and Roman sat down on the sofa.

Still feeling bold, Seth sat on Roman's lap and he heard Roman groan.

"I don't think much talking is going to happen with you sitting on me." Roman said, looking in Seth's eyes.

Seth sighed. "What's there to talk about? I like you and I think you like me. That's all that matters right now."

"Yes, I like you." Roman said as he hesitantly put his hand on Seth's knee. "But you know that we have a lot more to talk about than that."

Seth started to panic, he couldn't handle this today. "Please just give me today with you and then we can talk."

"Okay." Roman said quietly.

"Thank you." Seth said before grabbing Roman's hair and pulling his mouth down to his. Everything was good again. How could anything be wrong when Roman was kissing him. They were wearing too much clothes so he pulled his and Roman's shirts off before kissing him again.

Seth started to get hard again and it seemed to happen faster the more time he spent with Roman. He grabbed Roman's hand and placed it on his straining cock and Roman started rubbing him through his jeans. He moaned and lay back in Roman's lap as Roman fondled him and he couldn't believe how good he felt.

"Can I try something with you?" Roman asked quietly.

Seth nodded and Roman lifted him up and sat him down on the sofa.

"You can tell me to stop anytime you want." Roman reminded him and then reached for Seth's zipper.

Roman unzipped him and opened the button. He tugged the jeans down and off and Seth's cock sprang out.

"Naughty boy not wearing your underwear." Roman said teasingly as he ran his fingers over his length making Seth shudder.

Roman spread Seth's legs and kneeled down between them. Seth looked down at his straining erection and saw the tip beading up with pre-cum. He watched with a mixture of shock and fascination as Roman leaned down and licked up the moisture. He gasped as he felt Roman's warm tongue licking his cock over and over before taking the head into his hot mouth and sucking on the tip. He had never felt anything like it before. The heat from Roman's mouth, the velvety tongue swirling around him and the gentle suction was almost too much for him to bear and he balled up his fists on his thighs and whimpered. He needed to do something with his hands, but he didn't know what so he just left them where they were.

Seth leaned his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes enjoying what Roman was doing to him but he nearly jumped straight up off the sofa when Roman took his entire cock into his mouth. He groaned as he reached forward and put his hands on Roman's head, threading through his hair on instinct as Roman started bobbing his head up and down on his erection.

"Oh god!" Seth cried out, the sensations and pleasure nearly overwhelming him and he clenched his fingers in Roman's hair, desperately trying not to just shove himself down Roman's throat. He couldn't believe what he was feeling right now, what Roman was making him feel and his head was spinning from the pure pleasure of it.

Roman increased his actions, groaning against Seth's cock and Seth knew he was going to come soon. There was no way he could stop himself.

"I...I'm gonna cum." Seth gasped out as he felt his cock rub against the back of Roman's throat.

Roman moaned and rolled Seth's balls in one hand and that was all he could take. His hips jerked and he called out Roman's name as he came so hard he saw spots. His body sagged back against the sofa and he looked down at Roman's sparkling grey eyes as he gently licked him clean. Roman finally pulled away and smiled up at him and he felt his heart clench with love.

Seth pushed himself off the sofa and launched himself at Roman, knocking him to the floor and kissing him hard as he lay on top of him. He moaned when he tasted himself on Roman's lips, in his mouth and he grabbed the waist band of Roman's track pants and with one strong pull, they were flying across the room. He reached down to Roman's cock and started stroking it as he kissed Roman.

Roman pulled his mouth away. "You don't have to do that Seth, I'm fine just making you feel good."

"Then we're in agreement because this is making me feel pretty good right now." Seth said attaching his lips to Roman's neck and sucking.

Roman moaned and shuddered and Seth felt proud for making him feel good. He'd only ever touched himself before and last night he'd only touched Roman for a minute before he came so he took his time exploring Roman's cock with his hands and fingers, running up and down the length and twisting his hand around the head. He heard Roman gasp and he nibbled on Roman's neck before sucking harder, trying to mark Roman as his with as many bruises as he could.

Seth moved down to play with Roman's balls and was surprised by how soft and smooth they were. He squeezed them gently hearing Roman groan and he raised his head off Roman's neck and looked down at his blissed out face.

"Do you like this? Me touching you?" Seth asked stilling his hand and looking down at Roman.

"Yes." Roman moaned. "Please Seth."

He smirked. "Please Seth what?"

"Please keep touching me." Roman said panting, eyes glazed over with pleasure. "Don't stop touching me."

Seth's smirk got even wider and he started stroking Roman again feeling such a rush of power at having Roman at his mercy and begging for his touch. He didn't know what was coming over him but since it wasn't bothering Roman he pushed it away to think about later.

Roman started bucking his hips, fucking himself in Seth's tight grip and a few minutes later he came in Seth's hand with a hoarse cry.

"That's it baby." Seth said, stroking Roman's face with his dry hand. "You came for me again."

Roman looked at him with dazed eyes and smiled slightly. Seth looked down at his hand and brought it up to his mouth licking all of Roman's cum off of it while Roman watched, entranced. When he was done he licked the rest of Roman's cum off of his abs and smiled when he saw goosebumps form on Roman's skin.

"Fuck Seth, you're amazing." Roman said quietly.

"I know." Seth joked as he lay down on the floor next to Roman. "You're pretty amazing too."

"Can I hold you?" Roman whispered.

"You better." he answered and he moved into Roman's arms and Roman held him tightly, like he was precious. Seth sighed and put his head down on Roman's chest.

"I'm going to say something that might upset you, but I can't hold it in anymore." Roman said nervously.

Seth steeled himself for the worst and looked in Roman's eyes. "Go ahead."

Roman took a deep breath and looked at him. "I love you."


	14. What now?

_"_ _I love you."_

Roman's words echoed through Seth's mind but he could barely grasp them. They didn't make sense to him, Roman couldn't mean it, not the way Seth meant it.

"Don't say anything back, I just needed you to know." Roman continued.

Seth's mouth opened and closed but he didn't know what to do, what to say. Every instinct in his body was telling him not to believe Roman and to run as far as he could before Roman hurt him. He pushed those instincts down because they were based off things from the past and his brain and heart knew that Roman wouldn't hurt him or lie to him. He hugged Roman a little tighter and Roman hugged him back.

"We should probably get up now unless we want to go to work with sore backs tomorrow." Roman said sitting up.

Seth sighed and got up. "I guess so."

"You're pouting again." Roman teased. "Do you want to go get in bed and watch a movie?"

Seth grinned at Roman. "That's the best idea you've had."

Roman chuckled and walked to the bedroom.

Seth followed behind, his eyes glued to Roman's ass as he walked. When they got into the bedroom he couldn't resist anymore and he slapped Roman's ass and watched it jiggle. Roman growled and pulled him close, kissing him as he fell back onto the bed dragging Seth down on top of him. Seth broke the kiss laughing and Roman laughed too.

They spent the rest of the day cuddling in bed, watching movies and sneaking kisses. It was the best day of Seth's life.

* * *

Roman was already at work Monday morning when Seth arrived and for once they were the first to arrive. Seth pushed Roman into his office and they kissed like they hadn't seen each other in months.

Roman broke the kiss but kept his arms around Seth. "I missed you last night. Did you sleep well?"

Seth had wanted to spend the night at Roman's house but he thought that it would be better if he went to his own apartment for the night. He was a little worried that spending two nights in a row in Roman's bed would make him never want to leave. He had missed Roman but he slept well and didn't have any nightmares so he was happy.

"I missed you too baby." he whispered seductively into Roman's ear. "Especially your mouth."

Roman groaned and kissed him long and hard until it felt like his brain had turned to mush. They only stopped when they heard their co-workers arrive.

"I'll see you at lunch?" Roman asked as they broke apart.

"Yeah." Seth said dreamily, still feeling a little dazed.

* * *

Seth and Roman had lunch in the lounge as usual and were joined by Becky and Nikki. They all chatted and caught up with each other.

"So why don't you guys tell us what really happened this weekend?" Nikki said, picking at her salad.

"What do you mean?" Seth asked nervously. "We told you."

"Something happened other than going to the water-park." she continued. "It's pretty obvious."

"What's obvious?" he mumbled, wishing this conversation would end here.

"You two have been grinning like fools at each other all day." Becky chimed in. "And the obvious part is the hickeys that Roman didn't hide as well as he thought he did."

Seth's eyes flew to Roman's neck and sure enough there was a hickey peeking out from under his collar.

Roman laughed. "Busted!"

Seth's face went beet red in embarrassment while Roman, Becky and Nikki laughed.

"Good for ya." Becky said as the laughter died down. "We been waiting for you to get together for months."

"Yeah." Nikki said getting serious. "You guys are really perfect for each other. We could all see it, we were just waiting for you to see it too."

Seth looked over at Roman who had a gentle smile on his face and he relaxed and smiled back. They were right, Roman was perfect for him.

* * *

Seth was walking home after work that day when he heard his name being called from a nearby office building. He turned and looked and then froze in shock when he realized who it was, Wade Barrett, one of his bullies from high school. The frightened boy in him wanted to turn and run until he couldn't anymore, but the man he was now couldn't show that he was scared so he walked toward Wade who was jogging up to him.

It felt like time had slowed down as Wade walked towards him. He was even taller than Seth remembered and he had a beard now. He didn't look menacing anymore, just like any regular guy in a suit.

"Seth, I'm so glad I found you again." Wade said with a small smile on his face.

Seth resisted the urge to wrap his arms around himself for comfort or back away. "Wade, long time no see." he said keeping his voice strong.

"Can we talk for a few minutes?" Wade asked hesitantly.

"I guess so." he responded tonelessly.

"Uh how about we have a coffee across the street?" Wade asked.

Seth took a deep breath. "Sure, I guess."

They crossed the street to the little cafe and sat down at a table on the patio and ordered their coffees. He waited for Wade to start talking.

"Do you live here now?" Wade asked, looking down at his coffee.

"Yeah, I moved here a few months ago." he said calmly. "Are you still in Iowa?"

Wade nodded. "I'm only in town on business, I'll be flying home tonight."

"I see." he said, not really having anything to say.

Wade looked nervous. "Look the reason that I wanted to talk to you is because of how we treated you in the past. We all wanted to talk to you at our high school reunion but you didn't come and we didn't know how to find you."

Seth was surprised, he had assumed that they had forgotten all about him after graduation and found a new target for their bullying. "What did you want to talk about?"

"We've all thought about you through the years and now that we've grown up, we feel terrible for the way we treated you while we were in school." Wade looked at him in the eyes. "We all wanted to apologize."

Seth sat there staring at Wade in shock.

"We wanted to tell you that it was never your fault, you didn't do anything wrong, we all had problems in our lives and took it out on you." Wade looked at him. "We're so ashamed."

"What problems did you guys have?" he asked curiously.

Wade sighed. "Rusev's father was beating him, Alberto's parents were going through a really messy divorce and Sheamus and I were both struggling with our sexuality. It's not an excuse for our behavior but it is an explanation, I wish that we had been able to cope without hurting people."

"How are you all doing now?" Seth asked, not sure why he cared.

"We're all good and we keep in touch." Wade said with a smile. "Rusev's a professional wrestler with the WWE, Alberto went back to Mexico and is running the family business, Sheamus opened an Irish pub and I'm a lawyer."

"Sounds like you guys are all doing great." he said. "Anyone have a family yet?"

"Yeah, Rusev has a fiancee and Sheamus and I are getting married next summer."

"Wow, you and Sheamus, I never would have thought that." he said as he remembered how Wade would always cheer Sheamus on when he was beating him. Maybe he should have seen it.

"How's your life going." Wade asked.

"It hasn't been easy for me but not only because of you guys but things are looking up now." Seth confessed. "I'm a Doctor and I love my work, I have good friends and there's a guy I like that likes me back."

Wade nodded. "I'm glad things are better now. So many times over the years I've wondered what happened to you and I hoped that you were happy."

"I think that the best thing for all of us would be if we moved on and got over the past." he smiled slightly. "I don't know if I can forgive you but I accept your apology and I can tell you that it really means a lot to me that you guys even thought to apologize."

"Thank you for accepting the apology." Wade said, playing with his coffee. "We don't deserve your forgiveness and we will regret hurting you for the rest of our lives."

Seth grabbed his coffee and stood up. "I should get going now, but I'm glad we talked this through."

Wade stood up also and pulled out his wallet. "If you ever need a favor or anything you can call me and ask." he said pulling out his business card. "We know that we can't undo what happened or make up for it but we would be happy to help you out if you ever need it."

Seth took the card and nodded gratefully. "Thanks." he took a deep breath and asked a question he needed to know the answer to. "Hey, um was Dean Ambrose at the reunion? I've been wondering what he's up to."

Wade looked at him in confusion. "Don't you know? Dean's in prison."

"Really?" Seth asked, shocked. "What for?"

"He killed a few people." Wade said shuffling his feet. "He got life in prison with no possibility of parole."

"Oh. Thanks for telling me." he said quietly. "I should be going now. Good luck with the wedding."

"Thanks, Seth." Wade said with a smile. "I'm glad I saw you again."

Seth nodded and walked away, his mind reeling with everything he had just learned. Dean was in jail and he would never get out, he was safe and wouldn't have to worry about running into him somewhere. Also the guys that had made his life miserable had felt sorry enough to apologize. It couldn't make up for what happened but it did help that they acknowledged that they were wrong and were sorry about it.

He breathed a sigh of relief and he felt lighter than he had in a while. He was going to take his own advice and move on, but to do that he had to have a long conversation with Roman. He could only hope that what he said to Roman wouldn't change his opinion and he would still want him.


	15. Confession

Seth walked right to Roman's house instead of going home because he was worried that he would have second thoughts about telling Roman. He walked up to the door and rang the bell, waiting for Roman to answer. Roman opened the door with a surprised but happy look on his face.

"I wasn't expecting you but I'm glad you're here." Roman said as he ushered Seth through the door. "Can I have a hug?"

Seth grinned. "Of course you can big man." he said and Roman's arms came around him. He closed his eyes and leaned into Roman, feeling the comfort that he had been longing for since he first saw Wade. He held on to Roman tightly, worried that this might be the last time he would feel Roman pressed up against him and his eyes wanted to tear up. He blinked them away and took a deep breath filling himself with Roman's scent.

They pulled apart with smiles on their faces and Seth took Roman's hand and pulled him out into the backyard. "I think it's time for us to talk." He dropped his messenger bag on one of Roman's patio chairs and pushed Roman to sit in another. He wanted to be on more neutral ground so if Roman rejected him, he would be able to leave and Roman wouldn't feel obligated to have him leave through the front door.

"Seth what's wrong." Roman said looking up at him in concern. "You look sick."

"I'm fine." he said quickly. "But I really need to talk now so could you be quiet for a while and just listen."

"Okay baby boy, talk as much as you want." Roman said giving him a reassuring smile.

Seth was worried that he would just pace so he grabbed another patio chair and sat down across from Roman far enough that Roman couldn't touch him. He took a deep breath, it was time to begin.

"I didn't have the best childhood, my parents worked a lot and didn't have much time for me. I was shy and nerdy and I knew I wanted to be a doctor so I studied a lot. I didn't really have any friends and when I finally accepted that I was gay, I became even more shy. When I was 16, 4 boys in particular started bullying me and would beat me up almost every day." he looked over at Roman and he saw sadness in his eyes. "I was skinny and awkward and I couldn't fight back so I just let them hit me. When I was 17 a guy named Dean came to my rescue one day and chased the others away with a baseball bat."

Seth looked down at his hands clenched in his lap. "For the first time someone stood up for me and I was touched so Dean and I became friends. I had never had a real friend before so when Dean started doing things that I didn't approve of like stealing, I didn't try to stop him because I was worried that he would stop being friends with me. The bullies left me alone while Dean and I were friends and for the first time in a long time, I was happy."

Seth chanced a look at Roman and saw that he was listening intently.

"Go on, you can tell me anything." Roman said leaning forward and patting Seth's hand gently.

"One day during summer break, I was hanging out at Dean's house and... and..." he looked away from Roman as tears welled up in his eyes. "He raped me." Seth heard Roman gasp in shock and he looked back at Roman and saw that his eyes were full of emotions Seth couldn't identify.

Seth started feeling scared. "I promise that I didn't want it, I was never attracted to Dean at all and I really thought that he wanted to be my friend. I guess I was stupid or naive thinking that he would want to be my friend but I just didn't want to be alone anymore." his voice was rising as he begged Roman to understand.

He looked at Roman and saw his hands clenched hard into fists. He decided to just finish telling him before Roman walked out of his life.

"The rape was extremely violent and I wished that I would pass out or die because I couldn't take the pain anymore. He left to get more beer and I managed to get into my clothes and drag myself to the nearest bus stop praying that he wouldn't find me. I was covered in blood and it was obvious that I had been beaten, but everyone on the bus just looked away like I didn't even exist." he could feel the tears rolling down his face but he made no move to wipe them away, he had a feeling he would be crying a lot more by the time the day was over.

"I got home and shut myself away in my room. I needed to get the blood and his... stuff off of me so I stumbled into the bathroom to clean up and I fainted on the floor. When I regained consciousness, I crawled fully dressed into the shower and let it wash everything away. I took off my clothes and filled the bathtub with the hottest water I could and just lay there crying until the water turned cold." Seth looked far into the distance, reliving everything he had went through.

"I got out and bandaged myself up as best as I could and I was lucky that the bones in my face weren't broken or my ribs which were badly bruised. I took some Tylenol for the pain but I was still bleeding from my... area so I went to my parents bathroom and stole a few of my mother's maxi pads and put them in my underwear so I wouldn't bleed on everything. I went back to my room and stayed in bed for the rest of the day praying Dean wouldn't come looking for me. I stayed in my room huddled in bed for 3 weeks until I healed but I was still too scared to leave the house." Seth fell silent, still stuck in the past and the pain of those three weeks.

Roman gave him the time to compose himself and finish his story. "When school started up again I found out that Dean had dropped out and I was so relieved that I wouldn't have to see him again. When the bullies started coming after me, I didn't even care because punches weren't so bad compared to what Dean did to me. I kept my head down and buried myself in studying because I still had my dream of becoming a doctor and I was determined not to lose that too. I graduated at the top of my class with tons of scholarship offers and I got the hell away from my hometown and went to school."

Seth still couldn't bring himself to look at Roman but his story was almost over and he would leave before Roman asked him to. "It was better when I left, I still studied hard but I started working out so I would be able to fight another attacker off. I still didn't have any friends because I avoided everyone. I was a virgin when... it happened and I never went on a date or did anything with a guy because I was too scared of them hurting me too but that didn't really matter because I was never attracted to any guys I met anyway. When I became a doctor I worked for a few years in a small practice but I didn't like it so I moved here and you know the rest."

Seth blinked his eyes trying to make the tears threatening to escape disappear. He would cry when he got home and faced the rest of his life alone.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you Seth, you didn't deserve any of it." Roman said quietly, his voice soft and soothing. "You're so strong to make it through that all by yourself."

Seth's head whipped up to look at Roman. "Strong? I'm not strong, I'm weak. If I was strong it wouldn't still be bothering me so many years later."

Roman shook his head sadly. "I always wondered why you think so little of yourself and now I know. You are an amazing man and the strongest person I have ever known."

Seth shook his head in denial.

"You didn't let what Dean did to you destroy you, you fought for your dream, you moved to a new city all alone and you made Chris, Becky, Nikki and myself all love you." Roman said getting up out of his chair. "You got rid of Tyler to protect me, you got Becky and Sasha back together after their first fight, you let Nikki cry on your shoulder when John told her he didn't want children, and you took care of Chris's son when he was sick and Chris was out of town. You are so important to all of us and you don't even know it."

Seth felt tears trickling down his face again. Did Roman really see him like that? Did the others really care for him that much?

"Can I hold you Seth?" Roman asked quietly. "I hate to see you cry and I want to comfort you, I swear I won't do anything inappropriate."

Seth nodded and stood up into Roman's embrace. Roman always made him feel better and this time was no different. He held on to Roman tightly and Roman rubbed his back gently. He cried harder, this was the first time he had ever told anyone about the rape and it felt like he was finally grieving for the scared little boy that he had been. He cried until there were no tears left and Roman just held him and murmured sweet things until he calmed down. Finally when he was under control again, he pulled back from Roman's embrace.

"Can I ask you a few questions?" Roman asked sitting back down in his chair. "You don't have to answer if there too hard."

Seth sank back down in his chair feeling drained. "Of course you can."

Roman looked down at his hands. "When we first met, you didn't like looking at me or talking to me and you were uncomfortable around me. Do I remind you of Dean? Do I look, talk or act like him?"

Seth sat up in his chair quickly. "No. Never. Dean was a monster and you are an angel, _my_ angel. I was attracted to you from the moment I saw you and I didn't know how to handle it, I had never felt anything for anybody since the rape and I wanted you so much that I scared myself. All I wanted to do was grab you and kiss you but I was too scared so I decided to just try to be your friend."

Roman nodded. "The first time we kissed, you ran away and avoided me. Were you scared that I would... rape you too?"

"No!" Seth said adamantly. "I always knew that you wouldn't hurt me but I suddenly remembered what happened and it did scare me, you didn't, but the thought of being so... vulnerable with someone did. I've been closed off for so long that I started seeing everyone as a danger to me."

Roman looked away again. "What happened with us the other day... did you force yourself to do things with me?"

"No! Going to the water-park was a test for me to see if I could be around so many people-men, close to undressed. I asked you to come with me because I feel safe with you. I knew no one would hurt me if you were by my side."

"That will always be true." Roman said looking at him with his stormy grey eyes.

Seth smiled slightly. "I wanted to be with you for a while but I was denying it because I didn't think that you could possibly be interested in me too and I came to your bedroom because I realized that you might have feelings for me and I just... got carried away. Sometimes it's hard to think when you're around because you're too sexy."

Roman chuckled lightly.

"I loved everything that we did together, but I still don't know if I can ever have sex without thinking about what happened to me." Seth said sadly. "You deserve to have a relationship with someone who can give you everything and I'm sorry to say that I can't."

Roman looked serious for a moment. "Nothing will change the fact that I love you and I want to be with you, don't try to tell me what I deserve. I deserve a man that loves and respects me and I think that that man is you. I still want you and you're worth waiting for. I don't care if we can't have sex, I just want to call you my boyfriend."

"I want that too Roman, I love you so much but you have to be sure. I won't be an easy boyfriend and we are going to have problems." Seth said honestly. "Maybe you should take some time to think about things."

"I don't need time, all I need is you." Roman said and the look in his eyes said that he was telling the truth.

Seth stepped forward and kissed Roman softly on the lips. "I love you."

Roman pressed their foreheads together. "I love you too."

Seth sighed, he felt so tired but good, he had finally told Roman everything and he still loved him. For the first time in his life he felt like a lucky man. They turned back to go into the house and he stumbled a little.

"You okay?" Roman asked.

"Just a little drained, it really took a lot out of me to tell you all of that." he said reassuringly.

"May I carry you?" Roman asked.

Seth was surprised. "I guess so."

Roman swept him up into his arms bridal style and carried him into the house and into the living room. He felt so cared for in Roman's arms and he enjoyed watching Roman's muscles bunch and move carrying his weight. Roman placed him down on the sofa with pillows under his head and wrapped him up in the soft fuzzy blanket that he kept in the living room.

"Rest while I make us some dinner okay?" Roman said, his voice quietly affectionate.

"Okay." Seth said sleepily. "Thank you baby."

"Anything for you Seth." Roman said before turning to go into the kitchen.

* * *

"Wake up sleeping beauty, it's time to eat." Roman's deep voice said, waking Seth up from his sleep. Seth smiled and stretched like a cat before opening his eyes and looking up at Roman. He reached out his hand and Roman grabbed it and pulled him up off the sofa. They walked into the kitchen still holding hands and Roman pulled out his chair for him like it was a date.

They started eating their dinner and talked about less serious things for a while.

"There's something I was thinking about while you were sleeping." Roman said partway through their dinner. "Why did you tell me all this today?"

"I ran into one of my former bullies while I was walking home." Seth said taking a sip of beer.

"What?" Roman asked in concern. "Did he hurt you?"

"No. No actually he told me that they wanted to apologize to me. We had a good talk and I realized that it was time for us all to move on from the past." Seth said clearing his throat. "I realized that the best way to do that was to be honest with you about everything."

"I see." Roman said settling back down. "I'm glad they apologized to you."

"Me too." he said. "I didn't think that it would make me feel better but it did."

"Good." Roman raised his beer in a toast. "To moving on."

"To moving on." Seth said, clinking his beer with Roman's before they each took a drink.

Seth shifted in his seat. "I um... I asked him about Dean."

Roman gripped his beer so tight that Seth was worried that it would shatter in his hand.

"Wade said that Dean is in jail for life and there was no way he could get out." he said prying Roman's fingers off his beer bottle. "He killed some people."

Roman surprised him then when tears started to fall down his face.

Seth got up from his chair and went over to Roman. "What's wrong Ro?"

Roman pulled him down to sit on his lap. "He could have killed you too if you hadn't been strong enough to leave."

They held each other and Seth realized that Roman was right. If he hadn't gotten away that night, Dean could have killed him. When he heard that Dean was in jail he was just so relieved, he never stopped to think about Dean's crime. Things could have been so much worse, he could have died.

"Thank God you lived." Roman said against his neck.

Seth whimpered and nodded. "I love you Roman."

Roman looked deep into his eyes. "I love you Seth."

* * *

 _ ***Next chapter will have the smut you've all been waiting for.**_ ;)


	16. Moving On

_Two months later_

Seth hurried along to the bar. He was running late to meet his friends and Roman was waiting on him. He opened the door and looked to their usual table and he saw that he was the last to arrive.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." he said leaning down to kiss Roman before he sat down next to him.

"I'm still surprised whenever I see you two kissing." Nikki said refilling her glass. "I was really worried that you two would never get together."

"Me too." Roman said grinning at Seth.

"Hey." Seth said with mock anger. "Good things come to those who wait."

Everyone laughed and Seth was really happy. Life was wonderful. He had amazing friends and Roman was the perfect boyfriend. They still hadn't had sex yet but Roman never pressured him and Seth was finally able to convince him that he didn't have to ask permission whenever he wanted to kiss, touch or hold him.

They talked and unwound from the busy work week and Chris went home early to his family as usual. A little while later Seth looked to the door and saw Tyler standing there.

"Don't look now but Tyler's here." Seth said with a groan.

Roman looked up towards the door and laughed.

"What's so funny Ro?" he asked, looking at Tyler.

"The guy he's hanging all over was my rival in med school. They must really want to make me jealous." Roman said laughing. "As long as I got you by my side baby boy, there's nothing he can do to get to me."

Roman said the cheesiest, most romantic things sometimes and it always warmed Seth's heart. He grabbed Roman's face and kissed him hard and Becky and Nikki cheered. He pulled away from Roman and blushed while the girls giggled.

"Hey Roman! Is today Friday? I didn't realize that you would be here." Tyler said with a smirk on his face. "You remember Johnny don't you."

"Nice to see you Johnny, how's life?" Roman said with a smile.

"No complaints." Johnny said. "How about you?"

"Couldn't be happier. This is Becky, Nikki and my boyfriend Seth." Roman said gesturing to everyone around the table.

Seth nodded at Johnny in greeting but frowned when they grabbed chairs and sat down without even asking. Johnny sat next to him and Tyler sat between Johnny and Becky.

What they were doing was predictable and almost funny to Seth. For the next hour Tyler ignored Roman and Johnny constantly flirted with Seth. Tyler must think that all men are like him and would give up their boyfriends for another guy without a second thought but in Seth's case he couldn't be more wrong. In his mind Johnny couldn't compare with Roman, nobody could. He could tell that Roman knew what was going on because he wasn't acting jealous at all and in the two months that they had been officially dating Roman had been known to get jealous easily. He had his own self-esteem issues thanks to Tyler.

"It's getting late baby." Seth said to Roman. "We should be getting home."

"Yeah, we should be going." Roman said looking at everyone. "If you'll excuse us, we're leaving."

"It's still early." Tyler said with a sneer. "Don't let that little uggo push you around."

Roman stood up and slammed his fist down on the table making everyone jump. "Stop talking shit about Seth. I'll never take you back ever." Roman turned to Johnny. "If you two are really together then I'd watch him carefully because the second your back is turned, another guy's dick will be inside him."

Seth stood up trying to hold back a grin at the offended noise Tyler made. He grabbed Roman's hand as they walked out the door.

"That was amazing." Seth said, tugging Roman's large body into his. "I've never seen you that mad before."

"The little bastard has to learn that I won't put up with his shit anymore, especially if he brings you into it." Roman said, leaning into Seth's body and nuzzling his neck.

Seth shuddered and pushed Roman away. "Save it 'till we get home, big man."

"Spoilsport." Roman laughed and grabbed his hand. "How are we getting home, walk, cab or bus?"

"It's a nice night, let's walk." Seth said holding Roman's hand. They started walking in companionable silence but there was a question Seth had been wanting to ask Roman for a while and now that they saw Tyler again, he wanted to know. "Ro, you call me 'baby boy' sometimes and I was wondering..." he said nervously gripping Roman's hand harder. "Did you call Tyler that too?"

Roman scoffed. "No, I didn't. He actually wanted me to call him Prince Pretty."

Seth laughed. "Really? Prince Pretty? That guy has quite the ego doesn't he."

"Yeah he does." Roman said smiling. "I compromised and called him Prince and even then I only said it when he was mad at me. I wouldn't re-use his nickname for you."

"Good. I don't want to think that I remind you of him in any way." he said quietly.

Roman put his arm around his shoulder and they walked. "Don't worry, nothing about you is anything like him."

Seth put his arm around Roman's waist and smiled happily as they walked to Roman's house.

* * *

They walked through the door and took off their shoes and jackets. When Seth stayed over they usually slept together in Roman's room with the provision that if Seth needed to get away for a while, he would sleep in the guest room. So far Seth hadn't needed to and he was glad, nothing felt better than waking up in Roman's arms.

Roman pulled Seth into those arms. "Do you know what day it is today?"

"No." Seth said scrunching his brow trying to remember if today was special.

Roman smiled. "It's our two month anniversary."

"Really?" Seth asked in wonder. "We've been dating for two months."

"Yep." Roman said cheerfully. "I don't want to put any pressure on you and I know it might be too fast, but I was hoping that someday, when you're ready, you would move in with me."

Seth was almost in a daze after hearing what Roman said. He felt Roman move his arm off of him and he raised it up again holding a set of keys with a red ribbon tied on them. The clinking of the keys brought Seth out of his daze and he grabbed Roman's collar and crashed their lips together in a fierce kiss. He heard the keys fall to the floor as Roman kissed him back and he jumped up and wrapped his legs around Roman. Roman immediately tightened his hold on him so he wouldn't fall and he broke the kiss.

"Yes, I want to move in with you." Seth said trying to catch his breath. "I love you so much."

Roman's eyes softened and he rested his forehead against Seth's. "I love you too."

Seth smiled and lowered his lips to Roman's neck and started kissing him and Roman started walking towards his- _their_ bedroom. He worked Roman's hair out of his bun and let the soft locks fall down over his back and shoulders. Roman set him down on his feet and he quickly stripped Roman of all of his clothes while Roman did the same to him.

"Lay down on your stomach for me." Roman said, that soft look still in his eyes.

Seth crawled up onto the bed and lay down with his head resting on a pillow. He heard Roman rustling around near the dresser but didn't look because he trusted Roman. Soon he felt the bed dip under Roman's weight as he kneeled next to him by his hips. He could hear Roman rubbing his hands together and then he felt Roman's wet fingers touch his back. He moaned as Roman massaged him, his fingers warm and firm on his muscles.

Seth felt himself relaxing more and more as the massage went on. Roman had massaged him before and it always made him feel incredible and assured that he would have a great sleep. Roman massaged his back, shoulders, arms and legs and his whole body felt like jelly but he also felt horny. He felt Roman's hands on his lower back and he knew that Roman was about to stop massaging him and just go to sleep but Seth didn't want that, not tonight.

"Lower." Seth groaned out.

Roman was silent for a few moments. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, please." he said feeling anxious for Roman's hands to be on him again.

Seth felt Roman's hands tentatively running down lower and over his ass and he shivered. They had still fooled around with blow jobs, hand jobs and dry humping but Roman had never touched his ass before and it felt so good. Roman kneaded his cheeks before pulling them apart and pushing them together and Seth was so hard that it hurt.

"C...could you uh, t...touch it a little?" Seth said, feeling shy and nervous and hoping he didn't sound too stupid.

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Roman said, his voice strained. "Are you sure it's not too fast? Don't worry about me, I only want this if you're ready."

"I want this." Seth said, his voice strong and steady. "I want you."

Roman took a shuddery breath. "Okay. Tell me to stop if you need to."

"I promise I will." Seth said, snuggling into the pillow and relaxing. He did want this.

Roman gently pulled his cheeks apart again and his fingers ran softly down his crack and Seth shuddered. He felt a warm finger slowly brush over his puckered entrance and he couldn't help but moan. Roman's finger brushed over it again with a little more pressure and Seth gasped. Roman's hands left his body quickly and he looked over his shoulder to see what was happening.

"What's wrong baby?" he asked when he saw Roman on his knees hunched over with his hair covering his face.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Roman said and his voice was raw with emotion.

Seth was concerned. "What do you mean?"

"I heard you gasp." Roman said, still not looking at him. "I hurt you or scared you and I'm so, so sorry."

Seth pushed up onto his knees and turned around wrapping his arms around Roman's big, strong shoulders. "I gasped because it felt good, not because you hurt me. I've never touched myself there before and I didn't know that it could feel so good."

Roman finally looked up at him. "Are you sure? You wouldn't lie to spare my feelings, would you?"

"Never." he said, kissing Roman's forehead. "You've been so amazing and thoughtful and I know you would never hurt me by going too far. I think it would break both of us if we went too far too fast."

Roman nodded against his shoulder. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you. I would rather go the rest of my life without sex than hurt you or scare you like that."

"Do you think you can keep going because I still want you to touch me like that." Seth asked quietly, blushing.

Roman finally smiled at him. "I can keep going."

Seth lay back down on the bed and got comfortable. He heard Roman slicking up his hands again and a moment later, those fingers were back on him rubbing gently at his hole. Roman played with him in an almost teasing manner but he never let his finger actually go inside him and Seth was getting frustrated-horny and frustrated.

"Are you ready for more?" Roman asked, his deep voice working to seduce Seth even further.

"Yes." Seth whimpered. "Give me more."

He waited and a few seconds later he felt something hot and wet moving over his hole. _Oh God, it's Roman's tongue!_ Roman licked him over and over until he was wild with need, clutching the sheets and writhing. Finally when he didn't think he could take anymore, Roman's tongue slowly entered him.

Seth wailed at the unexpected pleasure and worried that Roman would stop but he didn't, he just kept moving his tongue inside Seth and making him squirm.

"Roman." he gasped out. "I need you."

Roman moved his tongue away and Seth turned over and pulled Roman down on top of him roughly. He touched and kissed every bit of Roman's skin that he could reach and grabbed his ass to bring their bodies closer together. He always got hot when he and Roman did things, but now he felt almost consumed by desire.

Seth saw the lube on the nightstand and passed it to Roman. "Help me get ready. I need you inside me."

Roman held the lube but looked uncertain so Seth grabbed him and kissed him slowly and thoroughly. He rained kisses all over Roman's face. "Please baby, angel, darling, sweetheart, love of my life. I want to feel you inside me."

Roman groaned and nodded before slicking up his fingers. He leaned down and kissed Seth again as he put his finger back at Seth's hole rubbing gently before sliding one finger in up to the knuckle. It felt strange having something inside him and Seth instinctively wanted to clench but he kept himself relaxed and let Roman keep moving inside him. He felt Roman push another finger into him and now he could really feel himself being stretched. Roman kept going slow and steady and then he brushed against that little bundle inside of Seth and he arched up off the bed with a gasp.

"Holy shit that's intense." Seth said as he fell back onto the bed panting.

"So I guess that means you want me to keep going?" Roman asked with a smirk.

"Oh yeah." he said smiling back at Roman.

Roman went back to stretching him out and when he added the third finger, he brushed against that spot again. Seth was almost shaking both with pleasure and anticipation of what was to come. He knew that it would probably hurt but he didn't really care anymore because he just wanted to be joined with Roman.

Seth was starting to get impatient so he reached over and started stroking Roman's cock just the way he liked it. Roman moaned and looked down at him.

"I think it's time baby." he said, reaching up to caress Roman's face. He hated that Roman looked so worried when Seth wanted this so badly.

Roman nodded and grabbed the lube again before slicking himself up and dribbling even more over Seth's entrance. Seth shivered when he felt the cool liquid touch his heated flesh.

"Please relax yourself, it'll be easier that way." Roman said, his voice shaky. "Anytime you want me to stop, just say so."

"I love you." he said, looking up at Roman's worried face.

"I love you too, more than you can imagine." Roman said and he slowly pushed into Seth.

Seth gasped as Roman entered him, he was so big and even though he was moving slowly, Seth's body burned as he felt himself stretch. Roman stopped and closed his eyes once he was in all the way and Seth did too.

It hadn't really hurt like he thought it would, but he felt so stretched and full but he could feel his body getting used to it. After a few moments, he rocked his body into Romans. Roman gasped and his eyes flew open.

"Time to move baby." Seth said, running his hands all over Roman's body.

"You're gonna kill me Seth." Roman said and he started to move.

He moved in and out of Seth in a slow but steady pace. Seth couldn't believe what he was feeling, every stroke, every thrust teased him and made him want more. He wanted to feel this close to Roman forever, to be filled so much that he didn't know where he ended and Roman began.

"Please, more." he begged and Roman picked up the pace, thrusting into him harder and Seth moaned and whimpered.

 _How had they dated for so long without doing this? This was incredible!_ Roman hit his sweet spot again and he let out a sound that was somewhere between a moan and a squeal but he couldn't be embarrassed when he was feeling this good.

He started moving his hips to meet Roman's, the two of them working to give each other the most pleasure they could and Roman's moans and groans just excited him more.

Roman grabbed Seth's legs and put them up over his shoulders and slammed into him. Seth threw his head back against the pillows and his eyes rolled back in his head as the new position made Roman go deeper than he had before and he wanted to scream in pleasure but he didn't want to scare Roman, so he bit his lip and held it in.

Seth could feel heat pooling in his belly and he knew he wouldn't last much longer. Roman reached out and started stroking Seth's hard, leaking cock in time with his thrusts and the combination made him feel like he was going to go crazy if he didn't come soon.

Roman shifted his hips and he started hitting Seth's prostrate with every thrust and it only took a few more thrusts before Seth screamed in pleasure and came all over himself and Roman's hand.

Seth had never had such an intense orgasm and he felt like he may pass out as he lay there shuddering and panting. He looked up at Roman and saw that he was watching him intently.

"Come for me Roman." Seth whispered, needing Roman to fill him up and claim him.

Roman moaned and thrust a few more times before he erupted into Seth with a shout. Roman pulled out of him gently and fell down onto the bed.

"Are you okay?" Roman asked softly. "Did I hurt you too much?"

Seth looked over at Roman and smiled. "I am fantastic and we are definitely going to do much more of that now."

Roman laughed and pulled Seth over to lie in his arms. "I'm glad you liked it baby boy, I wanted to make it good for you."

"You definitely succeeded." Seth said snuggling deeper into Roman. "I swear, it was so good I almost passed out."

They cuddled and talked in hushed whispers but Roman was the first to fall asleep. As Seth lay there listening to Roman's gentle snores, a sense of peace settled over him that he hadn't felt before. He didn't have anything to fear anymore, his life was everything he wanted it to be and he had a wonderful man to spend it with. Life was good.

* * *

 _ ***Wanna know what the future holds for Seth and Roman? The last chapter will be an epilogue from Roman's point of view.**_


	17. Epilogue

Seth and I have been married for two years now and we have never been happier. Life has been close to perfect for us. Sure we have occasional fights like other couples, but nothing that lasted for more than a few hours. In the beginning Seth had nightmares often but after we were together for about six months, they went away and he only has them once or twice a year. My job is to love and support him and we talked about him going to therapy but he says he feels the best he ever has and he wants to enjoy his life now but he might go in the future.

He has changed so much from the man that I first met. He doesn't look away from people anymore, he's more open and outgoing and he smiles a lot and lucky for me, he has an incredible appetite for sex. For our first anniversary I got him a dog and his smile was so bright that it overwhelmed me. That man has the biggest heart and there's nothing I wouldn't do to make him happy.

Seth was actually the one who proposed to me after we had been dating for about a year and a half. I should have guessed something was going on because he was biting his lip the whole time we were at our favorite restaurant and the only time he ever bit his lip was when he was turned on or nervous. We left the restaurant holding hands and walked home all the while sharing things that we loved about each other (there was a lot) and when we got home, he led me into the backyard. The backyard was full of candles burning brightly, rose petals were scattered all over the patio and tiny lights were twinkling in the trees. The moon was bright and as I looked around at everything Seth got down on one knee. When I looked down and saw him kneeling there I was in complete shock and I almost didn't hear those beautiful words that he said asking me to make him the happiest man in the world. I'm man enough to admit that I cried, I never thought that we would get married, I had hoped we would but I would never want to pressure Seth into it.

Of course I said yes, I would be crazy not to and he smiled that smile again that makes my heart beat faster and we kissed. The next thing I heard was cheers and I looked around and all of our friends and family came out from their hiding places. My mother, Becky, Nikki, Sasha and Naomi were all crying and I could have sworn I saw Chris wipe a tear away but he denied it. The next thing I knew, the patio was all set up with food, drinks and music and we had an engagement party. My cousin's kids and Chris's kids ran around with Kevin our dog and tired themselves out and the adults danced in the moonlight. As I danced with Seth in my arms I couldn't believe how wonderful my life was. After everything that happened between me and Tyler, I had gotten really lonely and depressed and I had been sure that I would never get into another relationship again. I've never been so happy to be wrong before.

Our wedding set off a chain reaction in our friends and John and Nikki were the next to get married. I'd never seen Nikki look so happy as on that day. They had a huge wedding with 300 guests and Nikki wore the princess dress of her dreams. Seth and I sat holding hands during the ceremony and we both teared up watching one of our closest friends finally live her dream. A few months later Becky and Sasha got engaged.

Life was perfect except for one thing. About a year into our marriage, Seth started looking sad and I got worried. When I asked him about it he brushed it off and said he was just tired. I knew that was a lie, he's a terrible liar but I let it go for a while. About a week later I caught him crying and finally he admitted to me that he wanted a baby, I held him as he cried and told him that I wanted one too. He looked relieved when I told him and we started looking at our options. When we told our friends that we wanted a baby they couldn't have been happier or more supportive but Becky had a funny look on her face.

The next day Becky came to us and volunteered to be a surrogate for us and carry our child. We were both shocked but refused because we were worried it would be too hard on her to give the baby to us after it was born even though it wouldn't have her DNA. She persisted with full support from Sasha and finally we agreed. Becky was so happy and excited the day she told us the procedure worked and we all held each other and cried. We were all there for her for her pregnancy and she was a little annoyed that we were all hovering over her and treating her like she was made of glass. Having 3 doctors and a nurse watching your every move can't be easy but she always had a smile on her face and I really hoped that the baby would somehow absorb some of her sweetness and optimism.

Becky was quite health conscious and her pregnancy was progressing perfectly and with no problems. We went to every appointment with her and Sasha and Seth cried so hard when he heard the baby's heart beat for the first time; who am I kidding, we all did. Dr. Stratus must have thought that we were all crazy but she just smiled and assured us that it was perfectly normal.

We talked a lot about who would be the god-parents of our child and that made Seth think about his own parents. He decided that he wanted to get in touch with his family and try to reconnect with them now that they were going to be grandparents. Of course I supported him and we flew off to Iowa to meet them. They were surprised when we arrived on their doorstep but they were well and truly shocked when we told them we were married. Seth had a really good talk with them and they admitted that they regretted how things were between them and had wanted to get in touch with him but didn't know where he had moved to. They were surprised that Seth was gay but they supported him and seemed to really like me and when they found out about the baby, they were thrilled. They decided to stay in touch and they were going to fly out when the baby was born to help us out. It seemed like the weight had fallen off Seth's shoulders and he was so happy.

Eventually we found out that the baby was a boy and once again we started talking about god-parents. We thought that it was only right that Becky be his god-mother since she was the one bringing him into the world but we couldn't decide on a god-father. Seth came up with the idea of asking Nikki, since our son would have two fathers, he should have two god-mothers and since John didn't want children, it seemed like a good fit because Nikki loved children. Ever since we found out that it was a boy she had been buying all of the cutest little outfits for him and we would have one of the most fashionable babies out there. She cried when we told her that we wanted her to be a god-mother and thanked us and she promised to always be there for him. We knew that we made the right choice with the two of them and little Thomas was going to have a lot of great people in his life.

So here we are at the hospital with mine and Seth's family waiting for our son to be born. Sasha is in the delivery room with Becky and she has been in labor with for a while now. I'm holding Seth in my arms because he has spent most of the pregnancy worried that something would go wrong because he didn't think he deserved more happiness than he already had. Dr. Stratus opened the door and told us that both Becky and the baby were doing well and that we had a son. I hugged Seth so tight that I worried that I was hurting him, but then again he was hugging me just as hard. As soon as they let us, we went in to see Becky and she looked tired but she was beaming with happiness and Sasha was looking at her with so much love in her eyes. We all crowded around Becky and hugged her and thanked her. We were so grateful to her for being such a wonderful, self-less friend and we didn't think we could ever repay her for the miracle she gave us.

The nurse came in wheeling a cart that had our son in it and we all looked down at him and I think everyone in the room was crying. He was a perfect 7lbs, 14oz, with delicate features and big brown eyes, he was going to be a heart-breaker when he grew up. We stared at him, almost too scared to touch him because he looked so fragile and almost like Seth and I shared our thoughts, we both reached out to touch him at the same time and Thomas reached up and grabbed onto both of our hands and that's when I knew that life really was perfect.

* * *

 _ ***Well that's the end of this story, I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks for all the comments, favourites and follows-they really make my day and give me courage to keep posting.**_

 _ **Some of you were hoping for a confrontation with Dean but I didn't really think it was needed in the end. The story is about moving on from the past and I think just knowing Dean would never get out of jail would be closure for Seth and honestly I felt so bad writing so much pain in Seth's life, that I didn't want to hurt him anymore. :) Dean couldn't be redeemed and he wouldn't have apologized and even though it would have been satisfying to see Seth or Roman beat the living tar out of him, it still would have caused the both of them pain, so I opted to go with a super happy ending instead.**_

 ** _I added the bit with Wade because I was bullied terribly in high school and I often wondered if my bullies remembered all the pain they caused me. It's nice to think that they remembered and felt bad for their past actions and Seth is in a good place now and can start to forgive and forget. The forgetting is the hard part._**

 ** _I'll be back with a new story soon, it'll probably have some angst but I'll always have a happy ending waiting. Rolleigns deserve it._**


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